Chambana Sun

Illinois will host Iowa in a sold-out volleyball match at Huff Hall on Sunday, November 2, at 1 p.m. CT. This event marks the team's first home sellout of the season and the ninth under head coach Chris Tamas.

The Illini are seeking to end a three-match losing streak as they face the Hawkeyes. Illinois leads the all-time series against Iowa with a record of 72-14 and has won the last 13 encounters between the teams. The most recent meeting was on October 27, 2024, when Illinois won 3-1.

Head coach Chris Tamas has led Illinois to significant achievements since taking over as the program's eighth head coach. He holds an overall record of 161-102 (.612) and has guided the team to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including three NCAA Regional appearances and a trip to the Final Four in 2018. Under his leadership, individual players have received national recognition, such as AVCA All-America First Team selections for Jordyn Poulter and Jacqueline Quade.

The last match saw Illinois lose in straight sets to #20 Minnesota. Taylor de Boer recorded her eleventh consecutive match with double-digit kills, finishing with a team-high of 13 kills. Kenna Phelan achieved her sixth double-double of the season with 18 assists and ten digs.

Iowa enters Sunday's match with a season record of 12-10 and is currently 3-7 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes have secured wins over Maryland, Michigan State, and Rutgers this season but have struggled on the road with a current away record of 1-5. Jim Barnes is leading Iowa for his fourth season as head coach.

Illinois achieved its first ranked victory this season by defeating #10 Purdue on September 28 during their first conference road game. Ashlyn Philpot contributed twelve kills in that match, while Taylor de Boer led with seventeen kills.

Taylor de Boer was recently recognized at the Canadian Sport Awards as this year's recipient of the AthletesCAN True Sport Award for exemplifying values such as fairness, excellence, inclusion, perseverance, sportsmanship, respect for others, and love of sport through her battle with ANCA vasculitis.

Kenna Phelan was named Big Ten Setter of the Week on September 29 after leading Illinois to victories over Oregon and Purdue. She averaged over nine assists per set during those matches.

Freshmen Alyssa Aguayo and Taryn Kirsch have made notable contributions this season; Aguayo has started all twenty matches averaging nearly three kills per set while Kirsch leads Illinois in digs per set as starting libero.

Illinois added nine newcomers for this season including transfers Auburn Tomkinson from Texas and Kenna Phelan from Florida State. Meredith Schamun joined Chris Tamas' staff as associate head coach following four years at Penn where she guided her team to several key victories.

The Illini are scheduled for nine nationally televised matches this year across networks such as BTN and FS1.