Chambana Sun

The Illinois volleyball team achieved a decisive victory over Rutgers in a Big Ten match held at Huff Hall on Friday. The Fighting Illini's performance improved their record to 18-9 overall and 10-7 in conference play, while the Scarlet Knights fell to 5-23 and remain without a win in league competition.

Illinois demonstrated strong offensive capabilities with 34 kills and a .311 hitting efficiency, while defensively holding Rutgers to a -.033 hitting percentage, marking the lowest for an Illini opponent this season.

Raina Terry was instrumental in the win, achieving 15 kills with a season-best .560 hitting rate. Brooke Mosher led the team's offense with 22 assists. Ashlyn Philpot contributed significantly with nine blocks, aiding the team to achieve 13 total blocks during the match. Cari Bohm, Averie Hernandez, and Terry each recorded three blocks. Christina Martinez Mundo added depth to the defense with 11 digs.

The match unfolded with Illinois taking an early lead of 10-5 in the first set after Raegen Reilly's service run. Despite Rutgers narrowing the gap to four points at one stage, Illinois maintained control and secured the set at 25-18 through a kill by Laynie Smith.

In the second set, Illinois quickly established dominance with four blocks within nine points and extended their lead to an eventual score of 25-6 following an impressive run of points facilitated by Mosher's assist leading to Hernandez's kill.

Carrying momentum into the third set, Illinois took command with a series of scoring runs that concluded in a decisive 25-14 win, completing their sweep against Rutgers.

Looking ahead, Illinois is scheduled to host UCLA at Huff Hall on Saturday night. The game will commence at 7 p.m., available for viewing on B1G+.

Key notes from this matchup include:

- Starters included Raina Terry, Brooke Mosher, Averie Hernandez, Cari Bohm, Ashlyn Philpot, Laynie Smith, and Christina Martinez Mundo.

- The team wore sleeveless white jerseys for this game.

- Historically against Rutgers, Illinois holds a favorable record of 17 wins out of 18 encounters.

- Coach Chris Tamas remains undefeated against Rutgers.

- This match marked another instance where Illinois achieved double-digit blocks this season.

- Notably low scores were recorded against Rutgers; six points allowed in one set is tied for fewest since September 2018 against Cleveland State.

Attendance for this event was reported as 2,367 spectators.