Illinois (11-5, 6-1) soared to No. 2 in the Big Ten standings with a spirited road win against Ohio State (3-12, 0-7). Friday evening’s 3-1 win put the Illini on a four-game win streak, their longest of the season.
The scoreline is deceiving, as the Buckeyes put up a fight nearly good enough to earn them their first conference win of the season. But the Illini had enough firepower to hold on to narrow leads in a couple of sets.
Offense misfiring
Wins in the Big Ten are earned, not given. Ohio State was winless in conference play entering Friday’s match, but it didn’t look like it on the court. The Buckeyes jumped to a 17-12 lead in the first set, courtesy of a 7-2 run fueled by four Illini attack errors.
Illinois’ offense struggled Friday, and it reflected on the scoreboard. The Illini never seemed to get any momentum in the first two sets. Still, a 10-3 scoring run at the end of the first set helped Illinois edge ahead 25-22. It registered 12 kills in the first set and a .108 hitting percentage.
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The offense got worse in the second set as the Illini put up 12 kills at a meager 0.026 hitting percentage. They managed to stay with the Buckeyes, and trailed 12-10 near the halfway point. Ohio State took off from there and never lifted its foot off the accelerator. It rushed to a 25-20 set two victory.
The Buckeyes only registered five errors whilst stacking up 13 kills in the second set. With the game tied at one set apiece, the Illini needed to figure out their offense to make an impact on the game.
Burbage, de Boer give offense life
The third set was a tightly contested battle. Both teams exchanged blows, with Ohio State leading by as many as three at one point. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Taylor de Boer and graduate student middle blocker Kayla Burbage teamed up in the third to push Illinois through a bumpy set. Both registered six kills, with Burbage putting up two blocks as well.
A 6-0 Illini run ended the third set 25-21 and gave them a 2-1 lead in the game. It figured out its offense in the set, putting up 18 kills at an efficient .304 hitting percentage.
Fourth set dogfight
Big Ten teams don’t go down without a fight, and Ohio State proved just that. Illinois started what would be the final set of the match with a 3-0 run, but that was as big as its lead got. A dogfight of constant back-and-forth plays eventually left the set tied at 20-20.
Freshman outside hitter Alyssa Aguayo registered four out of Illinois’ 11 kills in the final set. But it wasn’t enough, as the set wound up tied 24-24. At deuce, redshirt sophomore opposite Auburn Tomkinson fired a kill to give Illinois the advantage. An Ohio State attack error next ended the set and the game, with Illinois overcoming the challenge 3-1.
The scoreline might look one-sided, but the game was anything but that. The Illini survived a Buckeye scare to earn their sixth Big Ten and road win of the season.
Back to the Land of Lincoln
Illinois returns to the state and will travel to Evanston, Illinois, to face Northwestern (13-6, 3-4) Sunday at 2 p.m..
