Chambana Sun

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Illinois volleyball team emerged victorious against Michigan State in a five-set match at the Breslin Events Center on Saturday afternoon. The win brings the Fighting Illini to an 11-5 record for the season, with a 3-3 standing in Big Ten play. Michigan State fell to 7-10 overall and remains without a win in conference matches.

Raina Terry led all players by tying her season high with 25 kills. Averie Hernandez and Laynie Smith each contributed 10 kills during the match. Cari Bohm added five blocks, while Christina Martinez Mundo recorded a team-best of 15 digs. Brooke Mosher provided 45 assists in the victory.

The match began with Illinois trailing as Michigan State scored the first five points. Despite struggling throughout the opening set, Illinois managed a short rally but ultimately lost it 25-15.

In the second set, Illinois took an early lead thanks to Raegen Reilly's serving run and Mosher's strong serve, leading to a score of 10-5 before MSU called a timeout. Although MSU closed within one point of Illinois' lead, Terry's kill helped secure a lead that Hernandez solidified with consecutive aces to close out the set at 25-19.

The third set saw both teams exchanging leads frequently; however, Michigan State secured it with three consecutive points after an intense back-and-forth exchange ending at 25-20.

Illinois gained momentum in the fourth set with Mosher's aces contributing to their slight edge. A series of rallies allowed them to maintain their lead despite MSU closing in multiple times until Terry sealed it at 25-23 for Illinois.

The final set was tightly contested but ended decisively for Illinois after Terry’s three successive kills brought them to match point followed by an opponent’s service error that concluded it at 15-8 securing their conference victory.

Looking ahead, Illinois will host Indiana midweek at Huff Hall on Wednesday evening with coverage available on Big Ten Network starting from six p.m.