Illinois volleyball fell to Nebraska on Oct. 3 in Huff Hall. It was the team’s first home game after a month of traveling.
Finally staying put, the women then played Northwestern on Sunday. They easily defeated the Wildcats in a 3-1 match, putting their three-game losing streak to bed.
After the game, head coach Chris Tamas discussed his pride in Illinois’ defense when asked about how he will handle the upcoming road games in Michigan.
“The year is always a progression, and you are trying to get better every match,” Tamas said. “You step on the floor, and you figure something out. Every team is always going to test you in different ways, and I think today was more just a testament of mentality than anything. I like a lot of what we are doing defensively a lot better than where we were a few weeks ago.”
Victory over Northwestern sets Illinois at a 9-5 overall record and 1-3 in the conference. Per usual, graduate student outside hitter Raina Terry led Illinois with 13 kills. Not far behind her were junior outside hitter Averie Hernandez with 11 kills and freshman outside hitter Laynie Smith with 10.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Smith has seen some solid court time as a first-year player. She has tallied 124 kills this season but can stand her ground on the defensive side. She has amassed 41 block assists through her 14 contests. Smith became the first true freshman since 2016 to record double-digit kills in her collegiate debut.
Hernandez has been one of the top Illini this year as well. The Northwestern transfer played her former program for the first time on Sunday. It was bittersweet to face her former teammates, but Hernandez put the Big Ten win first.
“I have so much love and respect for all of those girls; they are some of my best friends to this day,” Hernandez said. “A win is a win. We are happy about it regardless of who the opponent is — for us, first (Big Ten) win of the season. I hope this starts some turmoil going forward. Just take it one point at a time.”
Redshirt junior setter Brooke Mosher was also stoked after the win against Northwestern.
“It feels awesome, especially being at home in front of our home crowd,” Mosher said. “It’s definitely really special to get that first win at home.”
The women head back on the road for the next couple of matches. They’ll head to Ann Arbor next to face the Michigan Wolverines on Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. The following day, they’ll take on the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing at 3 p.m.
It’s an important road trip to gain some momentum. After those matches, Illinois returns home on Oct. 16 to face the Indiana Hoosiers for its pink match in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
