Illinois volleyball (15-7, 7-5) is gearing up for a big weekend. With games on Friday and Saturday, the Illini have a chance to go 2-0 and get back on track. Illinois takes on No. 20 USC and Ohio State.
Coach’s talk
Head Coach Chris Tamas was asked about prepping for USC, and he discussed the season’s wins and losses.
“Take away good lessons, learn from the bad,” Tamas said. “Every match has those. There has never been a perfect match played … but every opponent is going to challenge you in different ways, so that is the challenge of this … Today, we saw something we wanted to change, and we got to make that change.”
Ready for ranked opponents
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Junior redshirt setter Brooke Mosher discussed how playing a ranked team can better prepare them for other ranked teams within the Big Ten.
“It is a great learning opportunity,” Mosher said. “I think it gives us a better run for the next time we are up against someone ranked.”
USC holds a record of 16-6 and a conference record of 8-4. Ranked teams are always intimidating, and USC will likely pose a challenge to Illinois. If the team plays well against the Californians, there should be strong momentum for their game against Ohio State.
Close competition with the eastern opponents
Illinois and Ohio State will pose a very neck-and-neck matchup. The two teams are tied in all-time meetings. Both have won 46 games a piece, and the Illini took the most recent matchup in five sets.
Tamas sits above .500 against Ohio State with a 6-5 record. Mosher had a career game the last time she saw Ohio State. She had a career-high 50 assists and seven aces. The team succeeded over the opponents last season, but now they must focus on a few specific elements to repeat that success.
Stay on course
Ohio State is currently 10-12 on the year. But fans shouldn’t let that record fool them because the Buckeyes currently sit on a two-game win streak. It would not be a surprise if they go into four or five sets, especially with the nature of these competitive games.
Ohio State has the No. 1 offensive player in the Big Ten, graduate student outside hitter Emily Londot. Londot has the most kills in the conference at 386, 19 more than second place. Londot is No. 13 in the entire NCAA in kills per set and sits at No. 15 in total kills.
Londot’s current season stats are comparable to graduate student outside hitter Raina Terry from last season. In 2023, Terry finished the season with 539 kills with 4.69 kills per set, which was good for being third-best in the conference.
Last season, Illinois finished in seventh place after getting hot late in the year but then cooled off to finish the season. Ohio State currently sits at 13th in the Big Ten Conference.
Play a complete, advantageous game
The top three best players of the conference are the same as they were in the 2023 season. During that season, Terry sat third in the conference and sits in this same spot now. The Ohio native is top-30 in the nation with 354 kills during the season and averages 4.32 kills per game. Mosher also touched on Terry’s leadership and strong efforts with the Illini.
“Raina shows up every day, gives her all every single day and she never takes a day off,” Mosher said. “I think having that means I can count on her for everything.”
What gives Illinois an advantage is they are the second-best serving team in the Big Ten. To compare, Ohio State is the sixth-best serving team in the conference.
Illinois has produced some of the best servers in the conference through Mosher and Terry. Both players have a combined 84 aces on the season. Terry ranks first in points, kills and aces in the history of the program. Illinois must utilize all the strengths of its players during the match to ensure the best results against the opponents.
“You’re going to always play that balance if you’ve got to keep enough in and make your opponent play, but you’ve still got to stay aggressive,” Tamas said. “You get a little bit maybe too tight or too tentative. Or, you’re trying to make the perfect serve, and sometimes that becomes the easy one.”
Bounce back after Wisconsin
Illinois plays No. 20 USC before they see Ohio State. The team looks to bounce back after losing to Wisconsin in straight sets.
The loss to the Badgers was expected since they are the third-best team in the standings. However, the Illini need to get some ranked wins before heading into postseason play.
The first hit against No. 20 USC is at 5 p.m. on Friday, and the first hit against Ohio State is at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be on Big Ten Plus and the radio at WDWS 93.9 FM and 1400 AM.
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