Illinois volleyball (16-7, 8-5) finally got its first ranked win of the season over No. 20 USC. The much-needed win came after a loss to No. 7 Wisconsin.
It was head coach Chris Tamas’ first win over USC, and he now moves to 1-1 during his coaching career over USC. The Illinois program itself now is 4-3 all-time against USC.
Illinois currently sits tied in ninth place with USC and Washington in the Big Ten standings, with a chance to pull ahead of both teams after the homestand is done.
League of her own
Graduate student outside hitter Raina Terry has marked her name in the program history. This is not just for being the all-time leader in program history but also for being the first Illinois player to hit 2,000 kills in her career.
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Terry is one of two players in the NCAA who have 2,000 kills and 200 aces. The Ohio native also delivered her 25th career double-double against the opponents. She led the team in kills with 18 and produced 11 digs.
“I’m so glad that I chose to come here and that it’s all worked out the way it has,” Terry said. “It takes all of us, you know. If you want to get big wins, if you want to have a winning record, it takes every single one of us in that show tonight.”
Terry didn’t just dominate kills at the service line, but she also tallied five aces. She did all this on a .136 hitting percentage and a .305 kill percentage.
“She’s amazing,” Tamas said. “There’s plays that you don’t think are going to be kills. We can set her a lot of balls over the years, and that’s not easy to do, and she’s a force out there.”
After the game results, Terry still sits third in the conference for kills. She’s behind graduate student outside hitter Emily Londot from Ohio State and junior outside hitter Eva Hudson from Purdue.
Making Huff their home
The scoreboard was not just lit up by Terry. Freshman middle blocker Ashlyn Philpot and junior outside hitter Averie Hernandez called their own numbers as Terry did all game.
Philpot had a career-high in kills with 17, while Hernandez followed just behind her with 16 for the Illini. On the defensive side, Philpot collected four blocks, while Hernandez had six herself.
Both players tied for points, each with 19, and Terry landed in first place with 23.5 points.
“As our season has progressed, I definitely think I’ve become more aware of what’s going on,” Philpot said. “The over-communication also helps me see it more. That’s just great to have teammates you can always rely on at every point.”
Redshirt junior setter Brooke Mosher had a good game as well, collecting 45 assists while getting a single kill with nine digs.
Quick turnaround
Illinois gets little rest with their next game as they take on Londot and Ohio State on Saturday. Illinois cannot be hung up on the win as its attention will turn elsewhere for the remainder of the season.
“You got a rest to recover,” Tamas said. “It’s part of the game that we play here. They played tonight, too. There’s no rest for the weary.”
Londot and Ohio State will arrive at Huff Hall with a three-game win streak, looking to continue the trend they’ve started.
The first hit is set for 7 p.m., and the game is on on Big Ten Plus. It will also be on the radio at 93.9 FM and 1400 AM WDWS.
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