Illinois volleyball took down No. 16 Purdue in Huff Hall on Wednesday night.
Securing their fifth straight win, the Illini moved to 12-10 on the season and 7-5 in the Big Ten. Purdue dropped to 14-7, 8-4 against conference opponents. The Illini settled the score with the Boilermakers after suffering a straight-set loss in West Lafayette on Oct. 4th. Falling in the first set of tonight’s match, the Illini regrouped to sweep the next three, picking up their first win against a ranked opponent and ending the Boilermakers’ four-game win streak. Head coach Chris Tamas now holds a 6-5 record over Purdue after extending the team’s longest win streak of the season.
The match commenced with a kill from senior outside hitter Raina Terry. Both teams traded points and each put together a 3-0 scoring run to reach a tied score at 11. Purdue found a three-point lead when Illinois took a timeout. Battling back and forth, junior libero Caroline Barnes laid out for a dig that set up fifth-year outside hitter Jessica Nunge’s kill. The effort wasn’t enough as Purdue maintained its lead and took the set 25-20.
Keeping their momentum with a 3-0 run to start the set, the Boilermaker drive was halted by Terry who rained down a kill from the outside. A Purdue error and ace from graduate defensive specialist Vanessa Pan formed an Illini 3-0 run tying the score at three before the Boilermakers hit for another 3-0 point rally. Showing strength at the net, the Illini front put a roof over Purdue in the second set with five blocks. The opposition reached a four-point lead at 18-14, but after a timeout the Illini fought back with a 5-0 rally featuring consecutive top-spin aces from sophomore setter Brooke Mosher. The Boilermakers fell off the rails, conceding a 6-0 Illini run to finish off the set with huge blocks from Terry, junior outside hitter Kayla Burbage and redshirt freshman middle blocker Cari Bohm.
“I think the team chemistry has been getting better and better all season,” Bohm said. “We really wanted that win. It came together and felt good.”
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With a two-point lead early in the third set, the Illini continued to strive down the stretch. Purdue did not back down, as the score became tied eight times throughout the period. The Illini strung together a 7-1 run, taking a six-point lead, up 15-9, but the Boilermakers responded with the same point rally of their own to reach a tie at 16. Illinois hit a 3-0 rally to go up 20-17, but Purdue battled back to tie the score at 22 and 24. A kill from Terry gave Illinois set point again and miscommunication led to a Boilermaker error, ending the set 26-24, Illinois.
With their last three matches reaching five sets, Tamas and the Illini finished with style in the fourth. Opening with a 6-1 rally and staying on top the entirety of the set, Illinois dominated down the stretch. Purdue used two timeouts and managed to come within one point, but ultimately, the Illini won 25-18. Multiple kills from Terry, Burbage and Nunge as well as powerful blocks from Mosher and graduate middle blocker Kennedy Collins led to the Illinois victory.
Illinois volleyball returns to Huff Hall on Wednesday night to play Northwestern for the first time this season.
