Chambana Sun

Illinois lost to No. 7 Wisconsin in straight sets at the UW Field House on Thursday night. This match marked the Illini's second consecutive game against a top-10 opponent on the road, bringing their conference record to 2-1 and their overall season record to 7-5.

Taylor de Boer led Illinois with 13 kills, marking her tenth match this season with double-digit kills. She also contributed three digs and a block while hitting at a .360 percentage. Auburn Tomkinson added seven kills and three blocks, and Alyssa Aguayo recorded six kills, six digs, two assists, an ace, and a block.

Kenzie Cogan achieved a career-high with ten digs for Illinois. Taryn Kirsch had seven digs and three assists, while Averie Hernandez chipped in six digs and one kill.

The first set saw both teams trading points early before Wisconsin went on a 4-0 run to take a 13-9 lead. After an Illinois timeout, the Illini briefly gained a one-point advantage but were overtaken as Wisconsin closed out the set with an 11-point run for a 25-15 win.

In the second set, Wisconsin used another early run to establish control. Although Illinois tied the score at six apiece, Wisconsin responded with nine unanswered points. The Illini managed to reduce the deficit through a five-point run that included three kills from de Boer but ultimately lost the set 25-17.

The third set was tied at eight before Wisconsin started another scoring stretch that forced an Illinois timeout. Despite efforts by Illinois to narrow the gap—including fending off five match points—Wisconsin secured victory in straight sets.

Head coach Chris Tamas now holds an overall record of 156 wins and 99 losses during his tenure at Illinois. The team is now 49-50-1 all-time against Wisconsin and has gone 4-1 in three-set matches this season. Against ranked opponents this year, Illinois stands at 1-2.

Illinois will next play Michigan State at Huff Hall on Sunday.