Illinois volleyball was defeated by No. 1 Wisconsin in Huff Hall on Saturday night in front of a season-high 3,093 spectators.
Led by head coach Chris Tamas, the Illini now hold a 7-9 record, 2-4 against Big Ten opponents. The Badgers, led by head coach Kelly Sheffield, are still undefeated with 15 wins, six within the conference.
After suffering a loss to the No. 19 ranked Purdue on Wednesday, the Illini returned home to compete against the number one team in the country. Illinois fought vigorously against Wisconsin, taking the lead 9-6 in the first set. Kills from senior hitter Raina Terry and graduate student middle blocker Kennedy Collins contributed to the early Illini success. The Badgers went on a 5-0 run before a kill from Collins halted their momentum. A 5-1 run from Wisconsin forced a timeout from Illinois, which was followed by a 5-1 run of its own and tied the score at 20. Eventually, it was the Badgers who came out on top and the Illini lost 25-22 in the first set.
Sheffield and the Badgers took control in the remaining frames, winning 25-15 and 25-12. Leaders for Wisconsin included Sarah Franklin and Anna Smrek, both with double-digit kills, and Carter Booth, hitting eight for nine.
Terry, Collins and sophomore setter Brooke Mosher led the way for the Illini. Tonight was Terry’s third consecutive game with double-digit kills, scoring 15 in the match. Collins and Mosher recorded four kills each.
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“It’s kind of a rivalry for me,” Mosher, a Wisconsin native, said. “Rivalries always fire you up a little bit.”
Mosher efficiently hit .500 on the night with 18 assists, five digs and a block to add to her performance.
“We look for consistent improvement across the board. I thought we improved a lot from our match on Wednesday,” Tamas said. “We have to be able to approach every opponent the same and keep executing as best we can.”
Illinois hit .085 across the match compared to Wisconsin’s .388 and recorded four blocks to the opposing side’s 12. The Illini totaled 28 kills; 46 came from the Badgers in the match. Terry and senior opposite hitter Jessica Nunge both hit an ace, putting Terry at 139 in her career, ranking eighth in Illini volleyball history.
Junior hitter Kayla Burbage did not play due to an injury sustained in Wednesday’s match against Purdue where she recorded seven kills. Sophomore hitter Sarah Bingham stepped up in her absence and contributed two kills and two blocks. Burbage is on a day-by-day schedule and is questionable to return in the near future.
Illinois volleyball will face Ohio State on the road this Friday at 6 p.m. and return to Huff Hall on Sunday to play Rutgers.
@brendanrecka
