After going three for three last weekend in the team’s final nonconference matches of the season, Illinois continued its winning ways on Wednesday, defeating Iowa 3-2 (24-26, 25-20, 25-20, 17-25, 15-5) on the road in its Big Ten opener.

The Illini struggled in the opening set, falling 26-24 despite fighting off one match point earlier in the frame. The hosts looked eager to defend their home court, narrowly edging the visitors in a tight first set.

Though the Hawkeyes are not ranked, graduate student Megan Cooney emphasized the depth of the conference ahead of Wednesday’s match.

“We know every team is bringing their best,” Cooney said. “It’s a great opportunity, playing in the Big Ten. We’re playing against the best of the best all season long, so it really prepares for the end of the season and really helps us step up our game every single week.” 

The second and third sets saw the momentum swing in the Illini’s favor, with the team taking both sets by identical 25-20 score lines.

After falling in the fourth set, 25-17, Illinois nixed any hopes of an Iowa upset, going on a 7-0 run midway through the fifth frame en route to a 15-5 set victory and a 3-2 win.

Wednesday night’s match also saw an Illini set a career high, as  junior Jessica Nunge secured a career-best 14 kills, while she also added eight digs, two blocks and three service aces. Junior Kyla Swanson added nine blocks, and senior Taylor Kuper finished with 28 digs in the win.

Cooney dominated at Iowa, recording a double-double with 11 digs and a team-high 17 kills on a .317 hitting percentage, while she also had three service aces and five total blocks. The Kansas native’s 22.5 points are a season high.

Iowa’s Courtney Buzzerio, who was named to the All-Big Ten first team last season, continued to show why she’s among the best right side hitters in the conference, recording a match-high 24 kills. Wednesday night’s match was her 11th consecutive match with double-digit kills.

With the win, the Illini now move to 1-0 in conference play and 9-3 overall this season. Illinois will return to Huff Hall this weekend for a showdown with in-state rival Northwestern on Saturday night. The match will be the team’s annual Stuff Huff game, though the event was canceled after the winter season was played without fans.

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