Illinois (7-8, 2-3) traveled to West Lafayette tonight to take on the No. 19 team in the nation and Big Ten rivals Purdue (9-5, 2-3). The Illini, led by senior outside hitter Raina Terry, fell in three sets to the Boilermakers.
This marked the fourth time this season that the Illini lost a nationally televised game. With the loss, head coach Chris Tamas dropped to a 5-5 record against the Boilermakers.
Terry led the team in kills with 12 total, continuing her strong start to the season. The Illini’s weak spot in the match was the sheer amount of errors committed by the team. The Illini had 26 errors in the match, 10 of which came on serves.
Another bright performance from the Illini came from junior outside hitter Kayla Burbage, who had 17 attacks and seven kills in the game. As a team, the Illini posted 27 set assists to finish the game. Both teams were neck and neck on digs, the Illini having 46 and the Boilermakers boasting 47.
The Boilermakers steamrolled the Illini in the first set, going on a 7-0 run to take a 16-5 lead. Purdue ultimately went on to win the set 25-11.
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Illinois kept it neck and neck to start the second set. It was a tight set at 14-10 until Purdue put up a 3-0 run against the Illini. The run ultimately led to another set victory by the hosts with a scoreline of 25-19.
Purdue proceeded to take set three, and the match overall. The Boilermakers went on multiple long runs in the third set to help put away the Illini. The final point scored by Purdue was on a kill by standout sophomore outside hitter Eva Hudson, who was assisted by freshman setter Taylor Anderson.
The Illini’s hitting percentage was a measly .117 percentage in the match, compared to the Boilermakers’ hitting percentage of .276. The hosts put four blocks in the match as well, compared to the visitors’ six.
Illinois falls to No. 10 in the conference standings with a below .500 record in conference play. Purdue continues its fantastic run of form, taking possession of the No. 5 spot in the conference.
The Illini are back home this Saturday against the No. 1 team in the nation, the Wisconsin Badgers. The match marks the 17th annual Stuff Huff event, and the game will be shown on Big Ten Plus with the first serve set for 6 p.m.
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