After two matches at home, Illinois women’s volleyball hits the road to Ann Arbor and East Lansing this weekend. The team’s first matchup is a Friday evening fight against the Michigan Wolverines, then a duel against the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday.
The Illini took on the Northwestern Wildcats this Sunday, Oct. 6 in Huff Hall. The women won in a quick 3-1 match. Currently, Illinois holds a 9-5 overall record with a 1-3 conference record.
Freshman middle blocker Ashlyn Philpot led Illinois with 14 kills and five blocks against Northwestern. Following behind her was graduate student outside hitter Raina Terry with 13 kills and three blocks.
Junior outside hitter Averie Hernandez also showed up for her team by putting up 11 kills and leading the team in aces. Another freshman outside hitter put numbers on the board for Illinois, Laynie Smith, who had 10 kills against the in-state rivals.
Now, the Illini get back on the road for their upcoming matches.
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Michigan volleyball stands at an impressive 13-2 overall and a 3-1 conference record. Michigan has traveled to play in some competitions out East recently, playing against teams like the University of North Carolina and Duke.
Michigan’s graduate student outside hitter Allison Jacobs leads Michigan in kills with 240 this season. Jacobs had a season-high 25 kills against Rutgers. Also, she recently had a double-double against UCLA with 19 kills and 16 digs in a five-set win.
Michigan also has a rising freshman outside hitter star Ella Demetrician. She just achieved her first career double-double against UCLA as well, with 11 kills and 12 digs, a career-high for the freshman. She tallies 98 total kills for the season with 83 digs.
Michigan’s roster is comparable to Illinois, from experienced graduate students all the way to talented freshmen, who are seeing lots of court time. This season has not gone as expected for the Illini so far. This upcoming road trip is a chance for the team to get back on track in the conference.
Right after the Wolverines, another test is placed in the hands of the Illini. Traveling to East Lansing, the Spartans have a 7-8 overall record and 0-4 conference record. Junior outside hitter Akasha Anderson is the playmaker for the Spartans. Standing 6 foot 3 inches tall, she tallies 169 blocks for the season with an average attack percentage of .168.
On paper, the Illini appear more dominant and fierce than their opponents. If they are able to leave this weekend with two road wins under their belt and a .500 conference record, they should be able to gather some extra momentum going into the latter half of the season.
Following their Michigan slate, the Illini will be back at Huff Hall on Oct. 16 to play Indiana for their Pink-Out game.
