No. 2 Illinois (2-1, 1-0) displayed resilience in its 321.300-320.800 victory over No. 4 Nebraska (0-1, 0-1) after redshirt fifth-year Sam Phillips sustained an injury during warm-ups. Even with the veteran all-arounder out, the Illini topped the Cornhuskers in three out of six events.
Last minute changes
Due to Phillips’ injury, head coach Daniel Ribeiro was forced to make last-minute lineup changes for each event. Fortunately for Ribeiro, his team was up for the challenge.
Although this was the Cornhuskers’ first season meet, they were ranked above the Illini in the Big Ten 2025 preseason rankings.
This victory was crucial for Illinois, not only to regain confidence after falling to No. 1 Oklahoma (6-1) but to prove it could sit on top of a competitive conference.
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There is no timetable yet for Phillips’ return. His seasoned presence and reliability will be missed in the lineup, but the amount of talent the Illini have at each event will benefit them despite Phillips’ absence.
Consistent standouts, such as sophomores Brandon Dang and Garrett Schooley, will need to step up if this team wants to stay near the top of the national rankings.
Challenge accepted
Illinois still found its X-factor in another all-around performer — freshman Ian Sandoval, who took home three event titles this meet. These included the floor, parallel bars and the all-around, proving that Ribeiro can depend on him to be successful in any given event.
Sandoval earned his first career-high of the night on the first rotation, the floor exercise. The freshman scored a 13.600 and earned a share of the event title with Nebraska’s junior Luke James.
As the Illini went into the second rotation ahead in team totals, it was time for Dang to shine. The current Big Ten Specialist of the Week won his third consecutive event title on pommel horse, putting up an impressive 14.250.
The Cornhuskers closed the gap in scoring after a notable performance on still rings. However, the vault continues to be one of the strongest events for the Illini. Schooley, Sandoval and senior Amari Sewell finished in the top three spots, widening Illinois’ lead.
Nebraska finished the meet on a high note, though, scoring higher than Illinois on both parallel bars and high bar. However, Sandoval put together another strong performance, finishing in a three-way tie for first on parallel bars to secure the Illinois victory.
Up next
The Illini are set to see a familiar face once again on Saturday as they travel to Ann Arbor and match up against the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines (4-1, 0-0).
Using their newfound confidence against Big Ten competition and finding ways to improve on their weaker events will be huge factors in determining if the Illini come out on top of this matchup.
