The No. 17 Illinois volleyball squad was unable to defend Huff Hall on Friday as they fell in five sets (25-20, 25-27, 25-11, 19-25, 17-19) to in-state rival Northwestern.

Sophomore outside hitter Laura DeBruler had 26 kills and junior outside hitter Kylie McCulley recorded a career-high 16 digs. But the Illini were unable to overcome hitting and serving errors.

For Northwestern (7-11) the win is the first of the season against a Big Ten opponent.

The Illini have Saturday to regroup before taking on No. 19 Wisconsin on Sunday at 1 p.m.