Though rain poured down all morning in Champaign, that didn’t dampen the mood inside Huff Hall, as Illinois welcomed No. 5 Wisconsin to town on Sunday afternoon. After beating No. 4 Purdue in West Lafayette on Friday, the Illini entered the matchup with momentum, but so did the Badgers, who were coming off a sweep of No. 7 Minnesota.

After taking the first set, Illinois couldn’t contain the Badgers, falling 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-20, 17-25) in the team’s first conference loss of the season.

Two straight kills from outside hitter Megan Cooney set the tone in the opening set. Though the Illini trailed by as many as six, a 7-0 midway through the frame turned a four-point deficit into a four-point lead, and the hosts never looked back. Middle blocker Kennedy Collins led the team with four kills, while two service aces from Jessica Nunge completed the comeback and gave Illinois its first lead since going up 2-0 to open the frame. A kill from outside hitter Raina Terry sealed the set win, with the Illini taking the first set, 25-22.

“In the first set, we just had the mentality to just go out there and give it our all,” Terry said. “We have an unwavering belief that we can go out and beat anybody.”

Wisconsin bounced back in the second set, opening with five unanswered points before going up by as many as 10. Right side hitter Devyn Robinson led the Badgers to a second-set win with five kills, while setter Izzy Ashburn notched two service aces in the frame. Though the Illini cut the deficit to as little as three points, they couldn’t come back from the early double-digit difference, with the visitors winning the set, 25-20, and tying the match at 1-1.

The third set was more of a back-and-forth affair, with both teams going on short runs early on in. Despite the close nature of the first half of the set, the Badgers went on a 4-0 run halfway through the frame and never let the lead slip away, ultimately winning the set, 25-20, and taking a 2-1 lead.

With the momentum already in Wisconsin’s hands, the visitors continued to roll in the fourth set. The Badgers used an 11-3 run to take a seven-point lead, and they didn’t look back, winning the fourth set, 25-17, and taking home the 3-1 win.

Though Illinois wasn’t able to get the win, Nunge emphasized the fact that the Illini were able to hang with the Badgers for most of the match.

“It just says that we’re playing some high level volleyball, and other teams in the conference have to be ready ,” Nunge said. “As much as we have to prepare for them, we’re not a joke either; they have to prepare for us just as much.”

The Badgers were led by Robinson, who finished with 14 kills and three blocks on a .440 hitting percentage, and outside hitter Julia Orzol, who notched 16 kills.

Terry finished with three blocks and 10 kills, marking this feat as the 13th time in the last 14 matches that she has registered with double-digit kills, while Cooney led the team with a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs. Nunge ended the match with 11 kills, eight digs and two aces.

Head coach Chris Tamas praised Terry’s ability to find openings and continue to assert her dominance in a prominent role for the Illini.

“She’s taking some big swings and mixing up her shots well, so whenever you can do that and not hit just one area, you’re going to give yourself a chance to score a lot of points,” Tamas said. “No defense can not defend everything.”

Illinois now sits at 3-1 in conference play and 11-4 overall, while the team will return to Huff Hall on Wednesday night to take on Purdue. Wisconsin is now 3-1 in Big Ten action and 11-1 overall, with the Badgers’ next match coming against the Iowa Hawkeyes in Madison on Wednesday.

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