Chambana Sun

The University of Illinois Fighting Illini women's volleyball team is set to face #20 Minnesota in a midweek road match on Wednesday, October 29 at 7 p.m. CT. The game will take place at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

Illinois enters the second half of Big Ten play with a 7-3 conference record. In their most recent outing, the Illini lost to Michigan in straight sets at Huff Hall. Taylor de Boer led Illinois with 17 kills, continuing her streak of double-digit kills in each of the team's ten Big Ten matches. Alyssa Aguayo contributed 15 kills on a career-best .462 hitting percentage, along with eight digs and two aces.

Minnesota comes into the contest with a 16-5 overall record and is 6-4 in conference play. The Golden Gophers have secured Big Ten wins over several teams, including Michigan State and then-#23 Indiana, and hold a strong home record of 9-1 this season. Senior Julia Hanson leads Minnesota with 271 kills after recording 473 last year. Keegan Cook is in his third season as head coach for Minnesota, having previously led the University of Washington program.

Historically, Minnesota leads the all-time series against Illinois 46-39-1 and has won the last ten meetings between the teams. Illinois last defeated Minnesota on November 18, 2017.

Earlier this season, Illinois recorded its first ranked win by defeating #10 Purdue on the road in four sets. Ashlyn Philpot collected 12 kills in that match, while Aguayo and Auburn Tomkinson also reached double-digit kills.

Taylor de Boer was recently honored as the recipient of the AthletesCAN True Sport Award at the 2025 Canadian Sport Awards. According to the release: "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 was recognized for her perseverance during her battle with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) vasculitis.

Kenna Phelan earned Big Ten Setter of the Week honors on September 29 after leading Illinois to victories over Oregon and Purdue. She averaged 9.4 assists per set across those matches.

Illinois' roster features several newcomers this season, including freshmen Alyssa Aguayo and Taryn Kirsch as well as transfers Auburn Tomkinson and Kenna Phelan.

Head coach Chris Tamas continues to lead Illinois volleyball in his eighth season with an overall record of 161-101 (.615). Under Tamas' leadership since taking over as head coach—the eighth in program history—Illinois has made five NCAA Tournament appearances and reached the Final Four in 2018.

Recent staff changes include Meredith Schamun joining as associate head coach after serving as head coach at Penn and Hannah Hashbarger becoming director of operations following her time at Regis.

Illinois volleyball will appear on national television nine times this season across networks such as BTN, FS1, SEC Network, and ESPN.

The Illini's next challenge will be seeking their first win over Minnesota since November 2017 as they continue through Big Ten competition.