Two games remain for Illinois volleyball (18-10, 10-8), with limited chances for the team to push toward postseason play. Illinois will be hoping to improve its record following a disappointing weekend.
Illinois will take on No. 16 Minnesota at home for senior night on Wednesday before closing its season against Indiana in Bloomington two evenings later. Playing Minnesota tough in each set could provide a boost toward the NCAA tournament for Illinois and a potential postseason tuneup.
The Hoosiers will be playing spoiler to the Illini, as they have not had a great season and have nothing to lose at the end of the year. Indiana currently sits 13th in conference play, while Illinois is eighth.
Last time in Huff
There is a lot on the line when Minnesota comes to town, not just playoff implications. It’s the last time Illinois seniors will play in Huff Hall in their careers.
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Graduate student outside hitter Raina Terry is the most notable player graduating and moving on to pro ball. The Ohio native has already been drafted to the Pro Volleyball Federation. She will head back home to play for the Columbus Fury after school.
The hole Terry will leave will be one of the biggest storylines heading into the offseason and next season. Terry has separated herself statistically from other players in the program’s history.
Her biggest accomplishment this year came when she broke the record for most kills in program history. At one point in the season, she was one of two players who had 2,000 kills and 200 aces in their careers.
Another player of note who will be leaving the program is graduate student libero Christina Martinez Mundo. Mundo has not been in the program for long as she transferred from Eastern Illinois, but her impact has been felt all year.
Martinez Mundo leads the team in digs on the year with 364. This is good for 10th in conference play. During last week’s loss to UCLA, both Martinez Mundo and Terry paced the team in digs, with Martinez Mundo having 11 and Terry having 10.
Necessary rebound
Following the loss to UCLA, the team must quickly turn around this season and set their sights on Minnesota. The game will be a tough one as Minnesota walks into Huff ranked. They have a slight edge on paper, considering Illinois’ struggles with ranked opponents.
“I’m actually so excited for that game,” Martinez Mundo said. “This can just give us a little bit more fire, and I can’t wait to see how we come out against a ranked team.”
Minnesota is led by junior outside hitter Julia Hanson. She currently sits as the seventh-ranked player in the conference in kills, with 400 on the year. Hanson slightly trails Terry, who is third on the year with 456 kills.
This is the only time these two teams meet this year; last year, Illinois lost in a sweep. Minnesota has had Illinois’ number these past few years. Head coach Chris Tamas is 1-10 against the Golden Gophers, and the Illini have a record of 39-45-1 in the matchup.
“The Big Ten’s not going to take it easy on you,” Tamas said. “Hopefully, we’re going to send our seniors out with a good win and put ourselves back in a good position.”
Avoid Hoosier revenge
Illinois and Indiana have already faced each other once this year. Illinois was the victor in the match in a three-set sweep. Indiana has been sitting on that loss since October and has had time to adjust to Illinois. Tamas has beaten them 11 times during his tenure, while the program is 76-19 against Indiana.
These final two games will be streamed on Big Ten Plus. The first hit against Minnesota is Wednesday at 7 p.m., while Indiana’s is Friday at 6 p.m. A live radio broadcast at 93.9 FM and 1400 AM WDWS will also be available.
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