After its first below .500 season since 2020-21, Illinois (13-16, 8-12) has failed to make the NCAA tournament. The team lost nine players after last season. The majority of its starters this season were new to the setup. But the 2025 recruiting class was strong, which makes the season’s results a little underwhelming.
Their best moment came at the start of conference play when the Illini earned their first top-10 win since 2021. And their worst moment was unsurprisingly the second part of Big Ten play, where they went 1-11 to end the season. The 13-16 record is well below what were standard expectations at the start of the season.
Season grade: C+
Alyssa Aguayo (A)
To say that outside hitter Alyssa Aguayo’s freshman year was a success is an understatement. Her impressive mark of 294 kills in 29 matches got her on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
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Head coach Chris Tamas described her play as “fantastic.” With Aguayo seeing her first full-time action as a freshman, Tamas was proud of how she stepped up in big moments and had a ton of fun coaching her.
“(Aguayo) is passing six rotations as a freshman, which is a heavy load, and she’s done really well,” Tamas said.
Aguayo packed many stat sheets this season, leading the Illini in double-doubles, with 11. She had the ability to flip any match on its head, case in point, against Michigan State (18-12, 8-12). Her 18 kills pushed Illinois to victory in five sets.
Taylor de Boer (A)
Missing a season due to an autoimmune disease might hamper performance, but not for redshirt sophomore outside hitter Taylor de Boer. The Canadian was on a mission from lights out and was consistently Illinois’ primary offensive weapon throughout the season.
“I take every day as a gift,” de Boer said. “Everything I’m going through, I am going after it. I talk about how I really like to be aggressive and a go-getter player, and so big risks, sometimes big rewards. I don’t always get it, but still keep going after it.”
De Boer registered a team-leading 368 kills with a hitting percentage of 0.224. She recorded 3.57 kills per set and was an unstoppable force in several matches. The All-Big Ten Second Team honoree recorded double-digit kills in 23 of the 29 matches. The outside hitter was the centerpiece of the Illini offense this season, and her swing kills were some of the features of Huff Hall.
“(De Boer) brings a lot of energy, a lot of positivity to the team,” Tamas said. “She can point score with the best of them. She is doing a really great job with that. It’s great to rely on her for big-time points, big-time moments.”
Averie Hernandez (C+)
Senior outside hitter Averie Hernandez saw her collegiate career come to a close against Northwestern (17-15, 7-13), but she went out with a bang.
Her offensive numbers were not as high compared to some of the big outside hitters. As the season reached its later stages, Hernandez found a stride of sorts. Her kill totals began to climb, and in her final match against the Wildcats, she tallied a career-high 14 kills along with 12 digs and two aces.
Those aces were another big part of Hernandez’s game. She stepped up to the service line with confidence on every serve. On a handful of services, the other team could not control it, leading to the team-leading mark of 28 aces.
Taryn Kirsch (B)
Freshman libero Taryn Kirsch was the beacon of energy a lot of the time she was on the court. Running and diving around the court to save points and earn valuable digs was a regular feature of Illinois’ defense when Kirsch was on the court. She led the team with 340 digs and was second with 107 assists.
One of the moments to remember from this season came against Nebraska (31-0, 20-0), where Kirsch ran into the Illinois bench after digging out a long return. She immediately got back on the court and dove to dig another Nebraska return out. Despite the losses this season, the team could count on Kirsch diving around the court to save points.
Kenna Phelan (A)
Junior setter Brooke Mosher left some hard shoes to fill. Illinois lost a crucial player to the transfer portal but added a setter who could run the game. Junior Kenna Phelan settled into her role so well that it hardly looked like she was new to the team. She led the team with 1,032 assists with 9.74 assists per set.
“How she goes about leading the team has been awesome,” Tamas said. “She can distribute the ball. She brings enthusiasm, energy and everything you are looking for in the setter position.”
Phelan was everywhere on the court, setting up kills for all of Illinois’ frontline attackers. She was also second on the team with 265 digs and fourth with 45 blocks. She made an impact across the board as she was also a very close second with 27 aces. Phelan earned a well-deserved All-Big Ten Second Team honor.
Every player on the team only had nice things to say about Phelan, and the chemistry she developed with the team really showed. She got to Champaign in the spring, and according to her, that helped the transition be smoother.
“It’s just a culmination of really good people at the end of the day,” Phelan said. “A good coaching staff and a family that loves each other. That helps a lot.”
Ashlyn Philpot (A-)
There was no such thing as a sophomore slump for middle blocker Ashlyn Philpot. She acted as the Illini’s main dual-threat, effective on offense and defense in the middle.
Philpot finished the 2025 campaign with a team-high mark of 94 total blocks, with 13 of them being solo blocks. In addition, she was fourth on the team in kills, with 224, far ahead of her middle-blocking counterparts.
She always talked about how the scoreboard is not the only thing pushing her and the team to improve, but rather the construct of the team and its future.
“We’ve been getting a lot of reps at it and just pushing each other to do the best we can,” Philpot said. “It’s not about the results, it’s about the process, so just pushing each day to get better each day.”
Auburn Tomkinson (B+)
Another player who saw her first full-time action was redshirt sophomore opposite Auburn Tomkinson. Illinois recruited her in the first cycle, but she ended up at Texas (24-3, 13-2) for her first two seasons. Tamas was excited when she became available again.
“She’s been great, enthusiastic, loves the game,” Tamas said. “She’s the only player I’ve ever had who comes up after every practice and says ‘thank you.’ That’s rare and says a lot about her joy for the game.”
He had a reason to be excited about Tomkinson coming to the Illini. While not a consistent double-digit attacker, her mark of 232 kills — third-best on the team — shows her talent level and how being at Texas prepared her for high-level competition.
The defensive numbers were impressive as well, as she came in third on the team in blocks, with 68. Overall, Tomkinson had a solid redshirt sophomore outing and will try to build on it in 2026.
Next season outlook
The Illini were very young this season and have a bright future ahead of them. Even with four seniors graduating, Tamas is already filling the gaps.
Two 2026 outside hitters signed with Illinois last month and will provide even more depth to an already deep rotation. Maya Harris and Madison Miles will bring competitive spirit and talent to Huff Hall next fall.
Pending any transfer portal shenanigans, all of the highlight players are slated to return to Champaign next season. There will be more time for the team to come together as a unit. While 2025 was a learning experience, 2026 could be the year the Illini return to their winning ways and the NCAA Tournament.
