Illinois volleyball (11-5, 3-3) returns to Huff Hall this Wednesday to take on the Indiana Hoosiers. The game marks the 96th time the teams have faced off since 1975.
The last time these two squads faced each other, Illinois won in five sets, but the teams split the series 1-1 against each other. This win over Indiana came during Illinois’ six-game win streak last year.
Indiana currently sits below Illinois in the Big Ten standings, but not by much. Illinois is currently 10th, and Indiana lands at 12th. The teams are only separated by one win.
It starts at the serve
Illinois currently has two players that have been able to get it done consistently at the service line. Graduate student outside hitter Raina Terry and redshirt junior setter Brooke Mosher have a combined 68 aces on the year. Both players are tied at No. 16 across the entire NCAA, and both have 34 aces on the season.
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However, Mosher demonstrates a high-risk, high-reward type of style when it comes to her game play. Currently, she has 56 service errors for the year. This is the third highest in the conference. Her aces-per-error percentage is currently a sub-one aces-per-error and currently sits at .61.
“I don’t really look too much, I just kind of go for it,” Mosher said.
Terry currently sits at No. 19 in the conference in this same category with a 1.17 aces-per-error. Her current position is lower than another member of Illinois in this category, junior outside hitter Averie Hernandez. Hernandez sits at No. 9 with 1.43 aces per error.
Indiana’s senior setter Camryn Haworth is also top five in the Big Ten at the line. She currently has 31 aces on the year, but like Mosher, she has a sub-one aces-per-error with .74.
Defensive-minded unit
Illinois’s defensive unit is No. 95 in the country with 261 total blocks on the year. The team is three spots ahead of Indiana in the conference defensively.
The unit is led by freshman middle blocker Ashlyn Philpot who is seventh in the Big Ten with 73 total blocks, eight of which are solo.
She is No. 17 in the conference in blocks-per-set with a 1.18. Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Cari Bohm is behind Philpot in solo blocks, with 56 on the year. Bohm is currently averaging .90 blocks per set.
The team’s best defensive game came against Michigan this past weekend when Illinois outblocked Michigan 13-2.
“Ashlyn’s the best. I think the beauty of this game is whether you’re older or younger, you can always learn from everyone,” Bohm said. “I learned from her, I’m teaching her stuff over the summer, it goes both ways.”
Offensive leaders
Terry has been the same impact player she’s been in previous seasons. Since coming back to Illinois, she has been a top-five statistical conference player.
The Ohio native averages 4.19 kills per set, which is the fifth best kills per set statistic in the entire conference. She has a total of 260 kills on the season, which is fourth best in the Big Ten.
On the opponent’s side, junior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles is having a good season herself, averaging 3.53 kills per set. Also, Alonso-Corcelles is in the top-10 for total kills with 208 altogether.
Both Terry and Alonso-Corcelles have taken a lead in their team’s offense, however, both players are higher in the errors category. Terry is second in the Big Ten in errors with 105 on the year.
Alonso-Corcelles is not far behind in this category, as she is fourth in the Big Ten with 97 errors.
First hit for Illinois versus Indiana comes at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The match will be played on the Big Ten Network and can be found on the radio on 93.9 FM WDWS or 1400 AM.
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