The Illinois volleyball team needed to play their best against No. 2 Penn State for an upset. They almost did just that.

The Illini fought back after being down 2-0 to tie the game at 2-2. Penn State rallied back to take game five and win 30-28, 30-25, 19-30, 28-30, 15-8.

Before the game against Illinois tonight, the Nittany Lions had not lost a single game to any Big Ten opponent or any unranked team. Senior Stefanie Alde tallied a career-best 20 kills and hit .457 from the right side. Fellow senior and middle blocker Vicki Brown had a strong performance, despite an injured hand. Brown added 16 kills and hit .303.

One area that gave Penn State they added edge came in the blocking game. The Nittany Lions outblocked the Illini 25 to six, tying the Huff Hall record they had set on Nov. 1, 1997.

The Illini have a quick turnaround taking on Ohio State on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Huff Hall.

For more on the game, pick up a copy of Monday’s Daily Illini.