Chambana Sun

The University of Illinois Fighting Illini women's volleyball team is set to host two matches at Huff Hall this weekend, facing #11 Purdue on Friday and Michigan on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on B1G+.

Illinois enters the weekend on a five-match winning streak, holding a 7-1 record in Big Ten play and an overall mark of 12-5. The team recently completed a four-match road trip with a sweep against Northwestern, extending their positive momentum.

In the most recent match, Taylor de Boer led Illinois with 14 kills, marking her eighth consecutive match with double-digit kills. Alyssa Aguayo contributed 12 kills and achieved a career-best .423 hitting percentage, while Kenna Phelan recorded 31 assists and eight digs.

Purdue arrives in Champaign with a 15-3 record, including ranked wins over UCLA, USC, Indiana, and #10 SMU. The Boilermakers' only losses this season have come against Georgia Tech, Illinois, and Nebraska. Purdue's roster features returning players such as junior setter Taylor Anderson and junior Kenna Wollard. Dave Shondell leads the Boilermakers in his 23rd season as head coach.

Michigan holds a 12-7 record heading into Saturday’s contest. The Wolverines have secured notable victories over Minnesota and Iowa but have struggled recently on the road. Junior Morgan Burke and graduate student Allison Jacobs are key contributors for Michigan this season. Head coach Erin Virtue returns to her alma mater; she played for Illinois from 2001-04 before joining Michigan’s staff.

Historically, Illinois leads both series: they hold a 52-46 advantage over Purdue and are ahead of Michigan by a margin of 54-27.

Earlier this season, Illinois earned its first ranked win by defeating then-#10 Purdue in West Lafayette in four sets. Ashlyn Philpot had the final point to secure the victory while Aguayo and Auburn Tomkinson also posted double-digit kills.

Taylor de Boer was recently recognized at the Canadian Sport Awards as the recipient of the AthletesCAN True Sport Award for exemplifying values such as fairness and perseverance during her recovery from ANCA vasculitis—a rare autoimmune disease diagnosed prior to her first season at Illinois.

Kenna Phelan was named Big Ten Setter of the Week after helping lead Illinois to victories over Oregon and Purdue earlier this fall. Freshmen Alyssa Aguayo and Taryn Kirsch have made immediate impacts; Aguayo has started all matches so far while Kirsch leads the team in digs.

Head coach Chris Tamas continues his tenure at Illinois with an overall record of 161-99 (.619) since taking over as head coach—the eighth in program history—and has guided the team to five NCAA Tournament appearances including three regional appearances and one Final Four berth.