Illinois volleyball’s (18-13, 10-10) season has come to a close, and it now enters the offseason with more questions than answers. The Illini are losing six seniors and need to find a way to replace them for next year.
The most notable loss for Illinois is graduate student outside hitter Raina Terry. She was Illinois’ best player of the last five years and finished her career as the program leader in points, kills and aces.
This type of production is almost impossible to replace, even in the portal era. But, the program has a tradition of finding players within the program to step up their games.
Who will be that player?
Illinois already has two freshmen who can step up and become that new star player. Freshman middle blocker Ashlyn Philpot and freshman outside hitter Laynie Smith were excellent in their debut seasons.
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Philpot ended her freshman season with 215 kills, 285.5 points and 126 blocks. Her “welcome to the Big Ten” moment occurred when she had a season-high of 17 kills against No. 20 USC. She was named to the All-Big Ten freshman team and is poised to take another step next year.
Smith appeared like she was going to be unstoppable in the early goings of the season. However, she simmered out as the team entered Big Ten play. The Durham, North Carolina native became the first true freshman since Jacqueline Quade to have double-digit kills in their college debut match. Smith recorded her season-high 14 kills against No. 15 Minnesota.
Another player Illinois could turn to is junior outside hitter Averie Hernandez. Hernandez and Smith were consistently the No. 2 players on the stat line behind Terry throughout the year.
What spots need to be filled?
Illinois is in a unique position to fill some spots where it desperately needs depth. The two main positions that should be filled are outside hitter and setter. Currently, the team has three setters and three outside hitters left on the roster. These numbers can change depending on the transfer portal, but right now, they need more at those positions.
Illinois could try to recruit senior outside hitter Kayla Burbage to return. She did not play the entire year and could use her redshirt. Nothing has been announced yet about her intentions for next season, but the option is there. The decision is ultimately hers to make.
Head coach Chris Tamas can also revamp this roster through the transfer portal. Illinois will have to find a way to set itself apart from the other Big Ten teams, as the Illini will not be a number one destination when they play in a conference with Penn State, Wisconsin and Nebraska.
What about setters?
Barring any transfer announcements, Illinois will return three setters. Most notably, redshirt junior setter Brooke Mosher will return to the lineup in 2025. Mosher’s value to the team extends beyond the service line, as her assist numbers are where she excelled.
Her season high in assists was 45 against No. 20 USC, while her career high was 50 against Ohio State during the 2023 campaign. At the service line, Mosher had seven aces against Cincinnati, tying her career high.
Redshirt sophomore setter Bianca May was used sparingly throughout the season but did play in a handful of games in rotation with Mosher.
It will be interesting to see what shakes up in the offseason and who enters the portal as the tournament gets closer to wrapping up. Tamas is in a position to land a bigger name in the portal as they try to return to postseason play.
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