Illinois volleyball beat Michigan State on Sunday at Huff Hall in an intense five-set game with Illinois winning 3-2.
The Illini are led by head coach Chris Tamas and are now at a season record of 6-6 and are 1-1 in Big Ten play. The Spartans are led by head coach Leah Johnson and have an overall record of 9-4 and are also 1-1 in Big Ten play.
As a team, Illinois hit .243 with 70 kills and 53 assists. The team also had 17 blocks, which is a season-high for the Illini.
The game began with graduate middle blocker Kennedy Collins, freshman libero Lily Barry, junior outside hitter Kayla Burbage, freshman middle blocker Cari Bohm, senior outside hitter Raina Terry, sophomore setter Brooke Mosher and junior libero Caroline Barnes on the court.
Set one started strong with back-to-back kills by Terry. The set stayed close going back and forth between the two teams, but a service error from Michigan earned the set to Illinois 25-23.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
The following set also started off close, with both the teams exchanging points until Michigan took a definite lead. The Illini closely lost the set 24-26. With both teams winning a set, set three began with lots of energy. A three-point streak for Illinois led to Michigan’s final timeout of the set with Illinois holding the 14-8 edge. The Spartans eventually charged back to tie the set at 22 and the Illini ultimately lost the set 23-25.
The Illini were not tired and ready to back down just yet, however. The fourth set proved to be a back-and-forth battle with 17 ties and nine lead changes throughout. With a Michigan service error and kill by Terry, Illinois was now tied with Michigan at 20 points each. Back-to-back kills by Collins secured the set for Illinois at 25-22.
With the turnout of the game at stake, the Illini were at the top of their game. Illinois was able to gain an early 12-6 lead with Mosher at the service line. Teamwork from Terry and Collins earned Illinois the win 15-13.
Illinois women’s volleyball is scheduled to play against Penn State this Friday at Huff Hall at 8 p.m. for another Big Ten matchup. After a successful game at home, the Illini are in good shape to continue their winning streak with the support from the home fans.
