The theme and motto of the second Big Ten game of the season for Illinois (7-4, 2-0) was to never give up. When the Illini walked into Mackey Arena to face the No. 10 Purdue Boilermakers (10-2, 1-1), the opportunity sprang once again to take down a top-10 team.
Against No. 6 Louisville, Illinois was unable to capitalize on that chance. This time around, the team gelled together and took down the Boilermakers. This was their first victory over a top-10 opponent since 2021.
Crisis averted
Last week against Iowa State, Illinois was in a good position to take the second set, but could not finish the deal. The Cyclones went on an 8-0 run, which flipped the score from 24-18 Illini to a 26-24 Cyclone win. Head coach Chris Tamas knew this was simply a growing pain for the young Illini.
“There’s matches that we would like to have had a set back,” Tamas said during media availability. “I’m really proud about how they fought every single step of the way, and there wasn’t a point where I ever felt like they just gave up.”
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In the third set against Purdue, a similar situation arose. The score was 24-18 once again, and that is when the Boilermakers began mounting a vicious comeback. It seemed like the issues from the previous weekend had resurfaced until Tamas made a crucial substitution that would change the set’s outcome.
Enter redshirt sophomore outside hitter Taylor de Boer to derail the comeback. Junior setter Kenna Phelan set de Boer up perfectly in the left pen, and with one swing, she stopped Purdue’s comeback in its tracks and put Illinois in front two sets to one.
Philpot’s shining moment
Purdue led for the majority of the fourth set until the very end. In came sophomore middle blocker Ashlyn Philpot to take over. Six of her 12 kills on the day were in this set, including several crucial kills at the end. Down by one, she got a swing from the middle and did not miss, tying the set at 23.
On the very next rally, Philpot took advantage of a Boilermaker’s overpass to put the Illini in front by one. Both teams would trade blows following that kill, leading to the second match point, where Philpot pulled a slide move out of her back pocket.
The crowd at Mackey Arena was stunned. Illinois had won its first top-10 game since it beat this same Purdue team four years ago. The Illini rushed the court, jumping around in celebration.
Balanced attack
Philpot excelled on both offense and defense. In addition to 12 kills, she blocked four Boilermaker attempts. Meanwhile, de Boer led the squad with 17 kills, the latest chapter in a stellar sophomore season.
Redshirt sophomore opposite Auburn Tomkinson and freshman outside hitter Alyssa Aguayo both delivered 11 kills in this match. Aguayo is an ongoing headliner in the Illinois rotation, as she is continuing to make big plays in her first collegiate season.
Several players were in on the party, and Phelan was more than happy to assist in 39 kills by the orange and blue.
“It’s fun when you have an offense that you can run and spread out,” Phelan said during media availability. “That’s every setter’s dream. Instead of feeding one person, I have a multitude of arms to get the ball to.”
Road warriors
Illinois’ next test comes in the form of No. 7 Wisconsin (9-1, 2-0). The match is set for Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
