Whether it’s been a close match or a sweep, Illinois (12-11, 7-7) has been on the wrong side of the last six. The gauntlet is not done yet, as two more tough matches lie ahead for the Illini. Only this time, both will be in the friendly confines of Huff Hall.
To rebound from a rough stretch, it takes a cohesive unit. Sophomore middle blocker Ashlyn Philpot is a dual threat on the floor from both the middle and on the slide, and she knows that digging out of the gaping hole will take a team effort.
“We just talked about pushing every moment,” Philpot said Sunday. “It takes all 18 of us. It’s not just the six on the court, it’s everybody. Holding each other accountable, pushing to get better at each practice — that’s how we’re gonna do the process to go for the results we want.”
Husky hunting
An opportunity for Illinois to finally get off the schneid lies in front of it on Friday night. The opponent is Washington (10-14, 5-9), but like any Big Ten team, the records don’t mean much. However, Illinois matches up well with Washington.
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Both sides have strong arms in their rotations. The Huskies’ strongest is junior outside hitter Kierstyn Barton, while the Illini’s is redshirt sophomore outside hitter Taylor de Boer. Both players have been the standouts for their respective squads, tallying over 300 kills this fall and averaging just over three per set.
Both squads feature freshman outside hitters with a similar number of kills. Washington’s Simona Mateska (239) and Illinois’ Alyssa Aguayo (234) are both playing at a high level at a young age.
On defense, the pairing isn’t as perfect. However, Illinois’ two middle blockers are a formidable duo. Graduate student Kayla Burbage and Philpot have 79 and 75 blocks on the season, respectively. On the Washington side of things, junior middle blocker Katy Wessels has rejected 122 attacks by herself.
It should be noted that Burbage did not play against Penn State, so it will be interesting to see if head coach Chris Tamas slots her back into the starting lineup on Friday.
Buzzing badgers
Illinois is looking for revenge against a powerful foe on Saturday: No. 11 Wisconsin (18-4, 11-3). The last time the two teams squared off was Oct. 2 in Madison, where the Badgers swept the Illini.
Doing the heavy lifting on offense for Wisconsin is senior outside hitter Mimi Colyer — tallying 16 kills against Illinois — who has 373 on the season. Provided Burbage plays, putting her and Philpot on Colyer whenever possible could help Illinois weather the storm.
The Badgers’ middle blocking duo is also very deadly: senior Carter Booth and redshirt senior Alicia Andrew. Both of them have outblocked Burbage and Philpot on the year, with 90 and 85 blocks, respectively. Booth is also up there in kills with 135.
Not to be outdone, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Una Vajagic has a solid total of 185 kills on the season and came away with 10 last time out against Illinois. The Badgers are full of weapons on both the offensive and defensive sides. The usual suspects may put away Illinois early, or an unsung hero could step up to get the job done.
Saturday’s match is the annual Stuff Huff night. A rowdy crowd of over 4,300 could get into the Badgers’ heads, but ultimately, it will take more than raucous fans to knock them off their game.
