Illinois Volleyball falls to Indiana in Big Ten opener

Illinois Volleyball fell to the Hoosiers 3-1 in Bloomington last night.

The road was not kind to the Illinois Volleyball team as they fell in a four-set match to the Indiana Hoosiers 3-1 last night. The loss drops the Illini below .500 to 5-6 and 0-1 in the Big Ten.

Offensively, the Illini had 43 kills. On defense, they had 66 digs and five blocks. Outside hitter Raina Terry led Illinois with 19 kills. Middle blocker Kennedy Collins added 11 kills of her own. Setter Brooke Mosher registered her seventh double-double of her career with 35 assists and 12 digs.

Game Analysis

The Illini found themselves behind early after a 3-0 Indiana run left the visitors trailing, 11-6, before calling a timeout. Back-to-back IU points late in the set extended their lead. The Orange and Blue were behind 17-10 before burning the team’s final timeout. The Illini finished the set hitting just .029, dropping the opening frame 25-13.

Looking to rebound in the following set, a 4-0 rally gave Illinois an early 7-4 advantage. The team built onto its lead, with a Terry kill sending the squads into the media break as the Illini owned the 15-11 edge. Three straight scores for the Hoosiers led to a timeout by the Illini as the team clung to a 17-15 lead late in the set. Back-to-back kills brought Illinois to set point, but a 3-0 IU rally tied the frame at 24. Back-to-back kills from Collins and Mosher put away the second set, giving the Illini the 26-24 triumph.

With the match even at one set apiece, a 7-0 run left Illinois behind, 20-13, before the team used its final timeout. Mosher snapped the rally out of the break, spurring a 3-0 turn for the Illini. However, Indiana continued to hold the momentum, closing the frame on a 3-0 run to hand the Illini the 25-17 third-set loss.

Illinois Volleyball fell behind early, with a 4-0 IU rally putting Illinois behind 12-5. Errors continued to plague the Illini, with the team down 16-6, before using a timeout. A kill from Kayla Burbage sparked an Illini rally as the team scored four-straight before Indiana looked to halt the Orange and Blue’s momentum with a timeout. Despite the shift, Indiana continued to take control, and the deficit was too much for Illinois to overcome, with the Illini falling 25-17 in the final frame.