Chambana Sun

Illinois volleyball will begin its 52nd season with two neutral-site matches against South Dakota State and Vanderbilt. The team opens play on Friday, August 29, facing South Dakota State at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Illini will then travel to Nashville for a match against Vanderbilt on Sunday, August 31, as part of the inaugural Broadway Block Party at Bridgestone Arena.

The Illini have faced South Dakota State once before, winning their previous meeting in 2015. This weekend's contest will be the first time Illinois plays Vanderbilt.

South Dakota State comes off a strong season with a 27-3 record and an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Junior Sylvie Zgonc returns after earning AVCA All American honors and being named Summit League Player of the Year. She finished last season with 494 kills and ranked among national leaders in kills and attacks per set.

Vanderbilt is beginning its first-ever volleyball season in 2025 under head coach Anders Nelson. The Commodores feature a young roster with ten freshmen and twelve underclassmen. Their opening match was against nationally ranked Kansas, where they pushed the Jayhawks to five sets but lost.

Illinois has added nine newcomers for the upcoming season: Auburn Tomkinson, Taryn Kirsch, Devin Dzienny, Gabriella Pitcel, Kenna Phelan, Sophi Randall, Alyssa Aguayo, Ava Wysocki, and Lara Žigic. Tomkinson joins from Texas while Phelan arrives from Florida State; Dzienny transferred after early enrollment at Florida.

Kayla Burbage announced her return for another year after missing last season due to injury. She previously played two seasons for Illinois following her transfer from Missouri.

Redshirt sophomore Taylor de Boer represented Canada over the summer at both U23 NORCECA Pan American Cup and Senior Pan American Cup in Mexico. De Boer helped Canada secure silver—their best finish ever—at the U23 event.

There are changes on head coach Chris Tamas’s staff this offseason. Meredith Schamun joins as associate head coach after four years leading Penn’s program and prior experience at Villanova and Tulane. Hannah Hashbarger is now director of operations following two seasons at Regis University supporting team management and engagement efforts.

Last year Illinois posted an 18-13 overall record (10-10 Big Ten) and returned to the NCAA Tournament before falling to Northern Iowa in the opening round. Raina Terry—a key loss—was named AVCA Third Team All-American before being drafted by Columbus Fury as Illinois’ first Pro Volleyball Federation draftee.

Ashlyn Philpot returns after being named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last year; she started all matches as a middle blocker and earned conference freshman honors during her debut campaign.

The Illini are scheduled for nine nationally televised matches this season across BTN, FS1, SEC Network (for their match against Vanderbilt), and ESPN2.

Chris Tamas enters his ninth year as head coach with an overall record of 149-94 (.613). He has led Illinois to five NCAA Tournament appearances—including three regional trips—and reached the Final Four in 2018 while earning several coaching accolades along with multiple individual player honors throughout his tenure.