Chambana Sun

Illinois volleyball will travel to the East Coast for matches against Maryland and Rutgers as part of a four-match road stretch. The team is set to play Maryland on Friday, October 10 at Stephen M. Schanwald Pavilion in College Park, followed by a contest against Rutgers on Saturday, October 11 at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway. Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be available via B1G+ streaming and radio.

Illinois comes into these matchups after a five-set win over Michigan State on October 5, improving their Big Ten record to 3-1 and extending their home winning streak to three games. In that match, Kenna Phelan achieved a career-high with 57 assists, while Alyssa Aguayo recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 18 kills and 10 digs. Taylor de Boer matched her personal best with 18 kills.

Maryland holds a 7-7 overall record and is seeking its first conference victory this season after losing to Iowa, Nebraska, Rutgers, and Penn State. Key players include Eva Rohrbach, who averages 1.20 blocks per set, and Ally Williams, who leads the defense with an average of 3.27 digs per set.

Rutgers enters the weekend with a 10-6 record overall and one win in Big Ten play—a victory over Maryland earlier this month. The Scarlet Knights recently had a seven-match winning streak led by Aspen Maxwell’s average of over four kills per set.

Historically, Illinois has dominated both series: they are undefeated (16-0) against Maryland since the teams first met in 1993 and hold a 17-1 record versus Rutgers.

Earlier this season, Illinois earned its first ranked win of the year by defeating #10 Purdue on the road—their first top-10 victory since 2021.

Taylor de Boer was recognized at the Canadian Sport Awards as this year's recipient of the AthletesCAN True Sport Award for exemplifying values such as fairness and perseverance during her battle with ANCA vasculitis. "The True Sport Award recognizes an inspirational Canadian citizen who exemplifies true sport values of fairness, excellence, inclusion, and fun in a meaningful way. Through the pursuit of sporting excellence this Canadian hero showcases dedication, perseverance, sportsmanship, respect for others, and a true love of sport." De Boer became involved with Uplifting Athletes during her recovery.

Kenna Phelan was named Big Ten Setter of the Week on September 29 after leading Illinois to wins over Oregon and Purdue: "Phelan averaged 9.4 assists/set and 2.4 digs/set over the course of the two-match weekend." She is noted as being the first Illini setter to earn this honor since Diana Brown in 2021.

Freshman Alyssa Aguayo has made an immediate impact by averaging nearly three kills per set across all matches started so far this season; fellow freshman Taryn Kirsch leads Illinois in digs from her libero position.

The program added nine newcomers for the current season including Auburn Tomkinson (transfer from Texas) and Kenna Phelan (transfer from Florida State).

Taylor de Boer represented Canada internationally at both U23 NORCECA Pan American Cup—where Canada earned silver—and Senior Pan American Cup events held in Mexico.

Chris Tamas continues as head coach for his eighth season at Illinois with an overall record of 157-99 (.613). Under his leadership, Illinois reached five NCAA tournaments including a Final Four appearance in 2018: "The eighth head coach in Illinois history, Tamas has made an impressive impact on Illinois volleyball and owns an overall record of 157-99 (.613), including a 92-69 (.574) mark in the nation's toughest volleyball league..."

Recent staff changes include Meredith Schamun joining as associate head coach following four years leading Penn’s program: "Schamun joins the Illini following a four-year head coaching stint at Penn..." Hannah Hashbarger also joined as director of operations after working at Regis University.

Last year’s squad finished with an overall record of 18-13 (10-10 Big Ten) before falling to Northern Iowa in the NCAA Tournament opening round.