The Illini’s win over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday night wasn’t pretty, but they pulled it out.

After falling in the first set, Illinois went on to win the second and third frames, though the visitors needed five sets to put away a pesky Iowa team. The victory marked the eighth consecutive season that the Illini have won their conference opener.

But with the match now in the rearview mirror, Illinois returns to Huff Hall for its first home conference match of the season: a showdown with in-state rival Northwestern on Saturday night.

Head coach Chris Tamas knows how raucous and electric Huff Hall can be, especially with the team’s annual “Stuff Huff” match, which will be held for the first time since 2019 after matches were played behind closed doors last season.

“I think we have one of the best fanbases in the country, and I don’t think, I know,” Tamas said. “I was an opposing coach for four years, and I knew how tough it was to come in here and play, and so as many people as we can pack in there and make it loud and make it difficult for other teams — I don’t think, I know — that’s a big home court advantage for us, and we need to continue to keep that tradition alive.”

Northwestern enters the contest with a 5-7 overall record, with the team most recently falling to No. 12 Nebraska, 3-1, in Evanston on Wednesday night. The Wildcats won the third set, which marked the first time they took a set against the Cornhuskers since 2013.

The Wildcats are led by junior outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara, who was named to the All-Big Ten first team last season. Thomas-Ailara leads the team in kills (172), service aces (21) and points (208.5) through 12 matches.

Northwestern leads the Big Ten in assists, due to the play of sophomore setter Alexa Rousseau, who has racked up 470 assists while averaging 9.59 per set.

Middle blocker Kennedy Collins anticipates a loud crowd and intense atmosphere on Saturday, as the Illini have only played at Huff twice this season.

“It’s very important to me, just to have all those fans cheering for us specifically in the building,” Collins said. “I think that’ll be a great environment for a home opener and a start to the Big Ten. It’s really important; it’s a great environment to be in, and I’m excited for it.”

Graduate student Megan Cooney continued her hot start to the season with a double-double against Iowa, tallying 17 kills and 11 digs on a .317 hitting percentage. She wasn’t the only Illini to put up big numbers, though, as junior Jessica Nunge recorded a career-high 14 kills, Taylor Kuper notched 28 digs and nine assists and freshman Caroline Barnes secured a career-high 10 digs.

Cooney and the Illini look to extend their four-match winning streak this weekend and will take on the visiting Wildcats at Huff Hall on Saturday at 7 p.m., while the match will be aired on Big Ten Network Plus.

“Stuff Huff is always a fun night,” Cooney said. “Packing Huff always makes the environment so much better, so much more energy in the gym, so I’m super grateful for that.”

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