Illinois women’s volleyball has a stacked week with a schedule consisting of Bradley on Tuesday at 6 p.m., USC on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. and UCF on Friday at 4:30 p.m. Illinois will play Bradley in Peoria, Illinois, and then USC and UCF in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The Illini currently have a season record of 4-3 and are led by head coach Chris Tamas. The Braves are 7-2 and are led by head coach Alicia Williams. Additionally, the Trojans hold a 4-4 standing and are led by head coach Brad Keller. Finally, the Knights are 8-1 and are led by head coach Jenny Maurer.
The Illini are undefeated against the Braves, owning a 9-0 all-time record against Bradley. Illinois also holds a 3-2 edge over USC, with the last match coming in the form of a 3-2 victory for the Illini that sent the team to the title match of the 2011 NCAA tournament. UCF and Illinois are currently tied 1-1 all-time, with the Knights taking the last meeting in 2019 3-1. Both Bradley and USC enter this week’s matches with a winning streak of three.
Illinois is made up of middle blocker Kennedy Collins and Columbia libero transfer Vanessa Pan. Outside hitter Jessica Nunge serves as the only fifth year on the team, while outside hitter Raina Terry comes in as the only senior on the roster. Hitter Kayla Burbage and libero Caroline Barnes come into the season as juniors.
Underclassmen include redshirt sophomores middle Sarah Bingham and setter Brooke Mosher. New addition libero Maddie Llewellyn comes in as a sophomore, and the Illini’s redshirt freshmen are middle Cari Bohm, setter Bianca May and outside hitter Sophie Stephenson. Lastly, libero Lily Barry, outside hitter Taylor de Boer, middle Gabby Dean and setter Maya Imoto-Eakin round out the squad as the true freshmen.
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The Illini are made up of many talented players who each put forth their best efforts. Terry comes into the week third in the country with 5.69 points per set. The outside hitter is also fourth in the nation, with 13.19 attacks per set. With 4.96 kills per set, the Ohio native ranks fifth nationally. Terry’s 129 total kills are second in the conference and 40th nationally.
Terry also owns 133 career service aces. Terry tallied 28 aces as a freshman, 55 as a sophomore and 45 last year. Already with four aces during her senior year, she is currently eighth on Illinois’ all-time career aces rankings. She also sits 18th nationally for career aces.
Despite the Illini losing to Oklahoma last Friday, the team’s ability to bounce right back will be able to be showcased in these upcoming matches. Fans can look forward to seeing Illinois make their comeback and return to their winning streak.
