Chambana Sun

Illinois fell to No. 3 Louisville in four sets on Sunday at the KFC Yum! Center. The Fighting Illini managed to take one set but could not overcome the Cardinals, who secured the win with a strong performance in the fourth frame.

Taylor de Boer led Illinois with a career-high 18 kills and hit .273 for the match. De Boer has recorded double-digit kills in each of her first four matches this season, including eight kills in the second set. She also contributed a dig.

Alyssa Aguayo continued her strong start as a freshman, posting her third double-double in four collegiate matches with 10 kills and 11 digs. Aguayo has reached at least 10 kills in every match so far and added two assists, an ace, and a block.

Ashlyn Philpot had nine kills on a .333 hitting percentage and registered six total blocks, including one solo effort. Kenna Phelan notched her second consecutive double-double with 38 assists and a season-high 16 digs, along with five total blocks—a new career best for her.

Taryn Kirsch contributed 16 digs, marking her third outing this year with at least that many. She also tallied six assists during the match.

The contest saw Illinois briefly lead early in the first set before Louisville took control following a 6-0 run. Despite efforts to close the gap, Illinois dropped the opening frame 25-19. In the second set, both teams exchanged runs until Louisville closed out the set for a two-set lead after scoring four straight points late to win it 25-22.

Illinois responded by taking the third set 25-20 after building up to a five-point advantage late in the frame. However, Louisville started strong in the fourth set with an 8-1 run that forced an Illinois timeout. De Boer reached her career-high kill mark during this stretch as Illinois narrowed its deficit to one point following back-to-back aces from Vivian Campbell. Ultimately, Louisville finished on a decisive 6-0 run to secure victory.

Additional notes from Illinois include Auburn Tomkinson matching her career-high of six digs while also contributing five kills, three blocks, an assist, and an ace—continuing her streak of serving at least one ace per match this season. Kirsch’s team-high of 17 digs marked a personal best for her young collegiate career.

The team’s eight service aces were their highest output so far this season. Head coach Chris Tamas now holds a record of 151-96 during his tenure leading Illinois volleyball.

Historically, Illinois is now 13-5 all-time against Louisville and remains positive (5-1) when playing true road games against them. The Illini are currently even (1-1) on true road matches for this season and have split their games wearing blue long-sleeved jerseys (1-1). They hold a record of 1-2 in four-set matches so far this year.

Next weekend, Illinois will participate in the Linda Herman Classic hosted by Illinois State University where they will face Cincinnati on Friday, Miami (Fla.) on Saturday, and host team Redbirds on Sunday.