Another week, another split.

For the sixth consecutive week, the Illini volleyball team won one of two matches it played. After being swept 3-0 by Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., Illinois once again salvaged its weekend by getting a sweep at Iowa, winning by scores of 25-16, 25-21, 25-18. The Illini remain two games under .500 for the season, sitting at 10-12 overall with a 6-6 conference record. Iowa falls to 10-14 overall and remains tied for last with Indiana in the Big Ten with a 1-11 record.

“We got a win, which we need against a team on the road in the Big Ten, which is tough,” head coach Kevin Hambly said. “I thought we played better (than Wednesday) and did a good job defensively and gave ourselves a shot to take care of business.”

The Illini relied on their defense more so than their offense, as senior Jennifer Beltran recorded 21 digs in the match, marking the fourth time in her career she has reached 20 or more kills in three sets. Sophomore outside hitter Jocelynn Birks registered 18 kills on 50 attempts for a .220 hitting percentage and was the only Illini to record double-digit kills. Sophomore setter Alexis Viliunas dished out 30 assists and freshman defensive specialist Danielle Davis matched a career high with 15 digs.

Illinois has been unable to play a well rounded match as a team, even in wins. Despite a sweep at Iowa, the offense was only able to hit .171. The Illini also committed five service errors to four aces. Defensively, however, the Illini held the Hawkeyes to a negative hitting percentage of -.048. A strong Illinois front row accumulated 16 blocks in the match, with multiple blocks coming from multiple sources.

“Our defense looked really good,” Birks said. “We fed off the momentum of that and worked hard. I think that led to gaining momentum and making the other team feel us, so I think that’s what we wanted from an energy-level standpoint. It allowed us to make plays.”

With only eight matches left in the season, Hambly said the team is not feeling a sense of urgency right now, but that it has been since the onset of the season. Hambly has stressed the importance of getting the team’s overall record to .500 in order to crack the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011. As it stands, the Illini have the nation’s toughest schedule according to RPI, having played an NCAA-leading 12 matches against teams in the top 25 in RPI. Historically, teams that have a .500 record or better in addition to playing a high-ranking strength of schedule gain a berth into the tournament.

“We know that we can compete with everyone in the Big Ten,” Birks said. “Coach obviously talked about the fact that we need to get to .500, but I think it’s most important to focus on one thing at a time instead of looking so far ahead.”

Blake can be reached at [email protected].