Illinois volleyball (14-11, 9-6) gets set for a match against No. 1 ranked Nebraska (24-0, 15-0) on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Coming off a straight-set road win over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday night, the Illini travel to Lincoln, Nebraska before returning to Huff Hall. The Illini have yet to face the Huskers, who remain undefeated this season.
Each set in Friday night’s sweep favored the Illini by five or more points as they picked up a much-needed win after falling to No. 2 Wisconsin last weekend. That loss ended a six-game win streak, Illinois’ longest of the season. Leaders for the Illini against Iowa include senior outside hitter Raina Terry with 15 kills, fifth-year senior outside hitter Jessica Nunge with 12 and graduate middle blocker Kennedy Collins with 10. The Illini hitters were efficient, recording a .311 average in the match. Terry and junior libero Caroline Barnes stepped up on defense with double-digit digs to allow only 29 kills from the Hawkeyes.
In their last match, the Huskers beat Northwestern 3-1 but conceded the second set to the Wildcats. Nebraska has won 14 out of their 24 games in straight sets, and the Illini swept the Wildcats at home a week before the Huskers beat them. Struggling more than usual, Nebraska won the first set only after four set points, with a 28-26 score. They took the third and fourth sets over the Wildcats fairly easily but looked beatable early in the match.
Head coach Chris Tamas and assistant coach Jen Tamas share a history with the Nebraska volleyball program, both having coached the Huskers in 2015-16. The Tamas helped lead Nebraska to win the 2015 national championship and the 2016 Big Ten championship as well as a Final Four appearance.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“We always talk about the competitiveness of the conference,” Tamas said. “We really just have to be able to withstand opponents’ runs.”
After taking the number one spot from Wisconsin in a five-set match last month, Nebraska remains the only undefeated team in the nation. Leading the Big Ten, Bergen Reilly ranks 12th in the NCAA for assists per set with 10.68, 908 total this season.
Fans can stream the Sunday afternoon match on Big Ten+ and look forward to a Huff Hall competition against Ohio State on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
