No. 7 Wisconsin triumphed over Illinois (15-7, 7-5) in a straight-set sweep. It marks the 10th straight loss Illinois has suffered from Wisconsin.
Wisconsin went into this game after it endured a loss in straight sets to No. 2 Nebraska at home. Illinois itself came off a win over in-state rival Northwestern in four sets.
Head coach Chris Tamas has struggled against the Badgers, only recording two wins against them during his tenure. The Illini are now tied all-time with the Badgers 49-49-1.
Good not great
Illinois is one game below its win total from last season. They currently sit at 15 wins, while last year, the team won 16 games. Illinois has beaten the teams it should have, but when it has come to ranked opponents, it is 0-6.
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Illinois is 1-18 in sets when playing ranked teams. The only team that it has taken a set on was No. 24 Dayton back in September. That game saw Illinois take the first set, but later, Dayton went on a roll to end the game.
Second sets for the team have seen an average of 22 points against ranked teams. Issues come about in the final sets, where the Illini average 18 points.
In set two, Illinois had Wisconsin on its heels, getting ready to take the set, but a 4-0 run to end it gave Wisconsin the win. At one point during the third set against Wisconsin, Illinois went down by 12 points.
“You’ve got to take big swings still,” Tamas said. “I thought Averie (Hernandez) took some good swings there at the end that just didn’t go our way, and that’s going to happen. We make runs; they make runs, too. It’s about managing the game and making sure you’re staying aggressive when you can.”
Raina Terry didn’t skip a beat
Graduate student outside hitter Raina Terry continued where she left off against Northwestern. Terry had back-to-back games with 15 kills, which paced the team in that category.
Terry posted a total stat line of 15 kills and two blocks and added two aces to the total stat line. This is a similar stat line to her Northwestern performance, where she also had 15 kills and two blocks.
“It comes down to my coaches, the coaching that I’ve had,” Terry said. “Chris coming in really made a difference for me. I just lean a lot on my coaches (and) a lot on my teammates.”
Post-season still in play
Despite Sunday’s loss, Illinois still sits in the upper half of the Big Ten. It is currently tied with Washington at ninth in the conference.
Illinois only has eight guaranteed games left on its schedule. The Illini have multiple opportunities to let the NCAA know where they stand.
The most recent projection has Illinois selected for the NCAA tournament. The projection has them going against Texas A&M. Texas A&M has received votes to enter the top 25, as they sit just outside the rankings.
Illinois will take on USC on Friday, Nov. 8. The game will be played on Big Ten+ at 5 p.m. You can also listen to the game on WDWS 93.9 FM or 1400 AM.
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