Outside hitter graduate student Raina Terry continues to be a star for the Illini. Terry had an impressive week, capped off with a Big Ten Player of the Week award. She leads Illinois with 73 kills and is averaging 4.29 kills and 1.24 aces per set. With 1,766 career kills, Terry has surpassed Mary Coleman (1,707) and moves to fifth all-time in the program. Terry is not far behind the No. 4 Mary Eggers, who had 1,774 kills. She adds the achievement to her program record for most aces, with 183 and counting. Terry’s hot start has led the Illini to a 7-1 record, but she’s had some help.
Close to breaking another personal record is senior libero Caroline Barnes. She is getting near the 1,000 digs mark, with 970 in her career. Barnes has had seven 20-plus dig games this season for the Illini. Other Illinois players have come up big as well, like junior setter Brooke Moshe, who became the first Illini in 25 years to post a triple-double. Freshman outside hitter Laynie Smith just made her collegiate debut on Aug. 30 but led Illinois against Cincinnati with 11 kills, her personal best.
This weekend, the women begin the Lippy Invite. On Friday, the Illini will take on the Missouri Tigers at 4 p.m. Following their matchup against Missouri, the women will then play Lipscomb in Nashville at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will air on ESPN+.
With just one loss and no ranked opponents this weekend, an opportunity arises for the Illini to continue their strong play. Missouri is 7-3 and Lipscomb is 3-7, with both teams faltering to top-tier competition so far. The Illinois women’s volleyball team will return to campus on Oct. 3 against No. 5 Nebraska. Nebraska is 9-1, but they do have a first-place vote in the poll due to their 3-0 record against top-10 teams. It would make for a fantastic environment in Champaign, but first, the Illini have to take care of business in Nashville.
