A tough weekend awaits Illinois volleyball (17-8, 9-6) as it has a quick turnaround against No. 8 Purdue after its game against No. 4 Penn State. This is the first and only time the programs will face each other this season.
Last year, Illinois split the games against the opponents. The first time they competed during the 2023 season was during a slump the team went through, where they lost three straight.
The victory came during a six-game win streak where they won in four sets; graduate student outside hitter Raina Terry shined in both games. In total, she put up 31 combined kills against the Boilermakers.
Head coach Chris Tamas has a fairly even record against Purdue and currently has a 6-5 record. The program itself has a 51-45 record against Purdue as well.
Slowing the Hudson
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Junior outside Eva Hudson has been nothing short of dominant for Purdue. She currently sits in first place in the Big Ten with kills, overtaking Ohio State’s graduate student outside hitter Emily Londot by one.
Hudson, the Fort Wayne native, is No. 15 in total kills for the entire NCAA and No. 12 in kills per set. She was one of five Big Ten players named to the 2024 AVCA Player of the Year watchlist.
Slowing down Hudson will be a key thing Illinois will try to focus on. She’s an attacker and is currently averaging 4.64 kills per set. Hudson and her squad have won five straight, and they head to Huff Hall with tons of momentum. Purdue’s most recent win came over Rutgers in a sweep victory.
To no surprise, Hudson was a key player in their win over the Scarlet Knights and finished with a double-double against them. She was one kill away from pacing the Boilermakers in kills since she had 15 with 10 digs to add on.
Terry-fying the Big Ten
Terry is always going to be the difference-maker for Illinois against every Big Ten team. This will likely be no different when they take on Purdue.
The Ohio Native still sits at third in the Big Ten and statistically is the third-best server in the Big Ten. Terry is only 26 kills away from Hudson to enter the first-place position in the Big Ten.
Terry’s complete game is one of the biggest reasons why Illinois has had the success they’ve had. It’s not every day that your outside hitter can be put in a serving situation and give your team a run of scores. Fortunately for Illinois’ program, Terry is that player.
Struggles against ranked teams
“We’ve just got to play consistent ball,” Tamas said. “This time of year, that’s what you want to do, and I think we’re seeing it — a couple of really good opponents in their home arenas. We’re going to expect a crowd like we see here in their venues, and we’ve got to be ready to get after it.”
Illinois has struggled against teams ranked in the top 25. They have only one win over any team ranked, as this came from a five-set win over No. 20 USC.
The team is 1-6 against ranked teams, and the Illini haven’t been able to get footing against them. This unit will attempt to make their resume for the postseason, and with how deep the conference gets in volleyball, they have plenty of opportunities left.
The Big Ten currently has six total teams in the top 25. Illinois has not cracked into the top 25 this season and has not been close to the rankings. The team sits tied with Minnesota and USC for sixth in the conference, but a loss to Purdue will likely hurt their standings.
A sweep loss for Illinois could happen as Purdue has a strong presence in the conference and has looked dominant lately. In the five-game win streak, Purdue swept four of the five teams. Given Illinois’ patterns with ranked teams this year, a sweep is not out of the picture. However, if the Illini can start strong and utilize all their assets, this matchup may be closer than expected.
The game will be played on Big Ten Network, with the first hit occurring at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Also, the competition will be live on the radio at 93.9 FM and 1400 AM WDWS.
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