WEEK 11: NO. 25 ILLINOIS (16-7, 8-4 B1G) vs. NO. 9 NEBRASKA (16-5, 10-2 B1G) // VS. NO. 11 MINNESOTA (14-6, 9-3 B1G)
Match 24: #9 Nebraska	Thursday, Nov. 4 // 8 p.m. CT // Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill.
Match 25: #11 Minnesota	Saturday, Nov. 6 // 6 p.m. // Huff Hall // Champaign, Ill.
TV (Thursday Only)	Big Ten Network // Fox Sports App
Live Streaming (Saturday Only)	B1G+ // Watch
Radio	WDWS 1400 // Listen
Live Stats	FightingIllini.com
Tickets	Nebraska // Minnesota
Game Day Information	Volleyball Fan Guide | Parking Information | Parking Map | Thursday Night Shuttle Information
Printable Notes	Illinois // Nebraska // Minnesota
Stats	Illinois // Nebraska // Minnesota
Series History	Nebraska: Illinois trails, 8-30-1 | Last Match: Illinois lost, 0-3, on 10/16/2021 | Streak: Lost 5 | Results  Minnesota: Illinois trails, 39-41-1 | Last Match: Illinois lost, 0-3, on 3/13/2021 | Streak: Lost 5 | Results
Shop	Online Store
Social Media	@IlliniVBall  | #Illini | @IlliniVBall  | Facebook | YouTube

FIRST SERVE | WEEK 11

The Illinois volleyball team next returns home to open a four-match homestand in Huff Hall, starting on Thursday (November 4) against No. 9 Nebraska at 8 p.m. CT, before facing off with No. 11 Minnesota on Saturday (November 6) at 6 p.m. CT.

Thursday's match will be televised on Big Ten Network, with Saturday's match streamed on B1G+ ($), with both contests broadcasted on the radio on WDWS 1400 in Champaign and streamed on FightingIllini.com.

The 2021 season marks the 48th season of Illinois volleyball, with the Illini holding an overall record of 1,028-590-7 (.635) and a mark of 464-293 (.613) in the Big Ten. 

PROMOTIONS

80's NIGHT // THURSDAY VS. NEBRASKA
Thursday evening will be 80's Night at Huff Hall. Show up in your most radical outfit. Neon is encouraged. The first 100 students will receive a pair of Spike Squad sunglasses. The National Anthem will be performed by saxophonist Zach Torf. There will also be a check presentation to the Mills Cancer Research Institute from the funds raised during the Pink Match against Michigan.

90's NIGHT // SATURDAY VS. MINNESOTA
The decades weekend continues on Saturday for 90s Night! Not showing up in your favorite fit from the 90s? As if!

ILLINI ATHLETICS TO PROVIDE SHUTTLE SERVICE ON THURSDAY NIGHT

Illinois athletics is pleased to announce that it will be providing a shuttle transport service for the Illinois volleyball match against No. 9 Nebraska on Thursday night.

The free transport service will shuttle fans from the State Farm Center East Circle Drive (off of Fourth Street) to Huff Hall. Fans can park in either of the Northeast or Southeast parking lots of State Farm Center. The shuttle will begin 90 minutes prior to first serve and run continuously until 60 minutes after the match has concluded.

ILLINOIS VS. THE FIELD

The Illini trail the all-time series with the Huskers, 8-30-1, including a 5-10 mark in Huff Hall. 

The Illini dropped a 3-0 (21-25, 15-25, 19-25) decision to then-No. 9 Nebraska in Lincoln earlier in the season on October 16, with junior Kennedy Collins and sophomore Raina Terry led the way with seven kills each, with Collins boasting a .385 hitting percentage to go along with four blocks on the night.

Redshirt-junior Diana Brown registered her 33rd career double-double and team-leading ninth of the season with 26 assists and a team-leading 10 digs, while senior Taylor Kuper added nine digs.

As a team, the Illini outblocked their opponent, totaling nine stuffs to the Huskers' five, with junior Kyla Swanson pacing the team with five blocks in the match.

Saturday's meeting with the Gophers will be the first and only meeting between the two teams this season. Minnesota owns a slight advantage in the all-time series, with the Illini trailing 39-41-1 and are tied, 19-19 in Champaign. The Illini dropped both matches against the Gophers in Minneapolis in last spring's 2020-21 season. 

ILLINI RANKED NO. 25 IN AVCA POLL

For the first time since the 2019 season, the Illinois volleyball team entered the AVCA Coaches Top 25 poll, coming in at No. 25 in this week's rankings.

Illinois is one of seven Big Ten schools ranked in the AVCA Poll with No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 8 Purdue, No. 9 Nebraksa, No. 11 Minnesota, No. 15 Penn State and No. 25 Illinois. Michigan is also receiving votes.  

Along with their conference foes, the Illini have faced two other opponents in the top-25, including No. 12 Washington and No. 24 Creighton. 

ILLINI NO. 27 IN NCAA RPI RANKING

The NCAA released its fourth RPI of the season on Monday (November 1), with Illinois coming in at No. 27  in the ranking. 

The Illini have or will face eight opponents that sit in the top 25, with nine foes ranking in the top 50.

ILLINI UPSET NO. 13 PENN STATE IN REC HALL

For the first time since 2014 the Illinois volleyball team earned a victory in Rec Hall as the Illini pushed their win streak to four matches with a 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 27-25, 25-22) upset of No. 13 Penn State on Saturday (October 30) night.

The Illini, who last defeated the Nittany Lions in a five-set thriller in 2018 in Huff Hall, earned just their 12th win over PSU in program history and their fourth-ever in Rec Hall. UI's last victory in University Park came on October 11, 2014 when the Illini took down the then-defending champions in four sets.

The Illini were led by sophomore Raina Terry with a team-high 17 kills to go along with four digs and three blocks, with graduate student Megan Cooney turning in 14 kills on a .343 hitting percentage and seven digs.  Junior Kennedy Collins joined the duo in double figures with 11 kills, while classmate Kyla Swanson added eight kills on 11 swings and no errors for a .727 attack clip and led the match with seven blocks.

Redshirt-junior Diana Brown equaled a season-high with 52 assists as she directed the Illini offense to a .299 hitting percentage while also turning in nine digs in the win. Graduate student Kylie Bruder led the Illini at the service line with a career-high four aces, while junior Taylor Kuper led the defensive effort with a match-high 19 digs. Freshman Caroline Barnes added a career-high 12 digs on the night.

COLLINS SHINES AS ILLINI OUTLAST RUTGERS 

Junior Kennedy Collins came within two blocks of a triple double as the Illinois volleyball team battled to a five-set (25-27, 25-20, 25-11, 22-25, 15-12) victory over Rutgers at the Rutgers Athletic Center on Friday (Oct. 29) night.

Collins earned her first-career double-double with 13 kills on a .440 hitting percentage to go along with a career-high 10 digs, a season-high eight blocks – including to solo stuffs – and three service aces. Sophomore Raina Terry turned in her 12th-careeer double-double and fifth of the season with 13 kills and 11 digs, while also posting four blocks and a match-high four aces. Junior Jessica Nunge added a team-high 16 kills in the win.

Redshirt-junior Diana Brown directed the Illini offense to a .215 hitting percentage as she registered her 35th career double-double and team-leading 11th of the season with 46 assists and 10 digs.

Defnsively, senior Taylor Kuper came within two digs of equaling her career-high with a match-high 27 digs on the night, with graduate student Megan Cooney notching 11 digs.

As a team, the Illini served up 12 aces, with Kuper adding three aces in the win.

WEEK 10 STANDOUTS

Graduate student Megan Cooney totaled 21 kills on a .250 hitting percentage for a 2.33 kills per set mark to go along with 18 digs (2.00 digs per set) and four blocks.

Redshirt-junior Diana Brown registered 98 assists for a 10.89 assists per set mark to direct the Illini to a .253 team attack clip, while adding 19 digs (2.11 digs per set), three blocks and five kills on a .455 hitting percentage. 

Senior Taylor Kuper totaled 46 digs for a 5.11 digs per set mark, while adding nine assists and four service aces on the weekend. 

Sophomore Raina Terry totaled a team-high 30 kills, to go along with 15 digs, seven blocks and five aces. 

Junior Kennedy Collins had a strong weekend with 24 kills on a .327 hitting percentage as well as 10 blocks, 12 digs and four aces. 

IRON WOMAN COONEY BECOMES ALL-TIME LEADER IN CAREER SETS

Graduate student Megan Cooney has been a stalwart in the Illini lineup since she has been a freshman - playing in 137 of 141 in her five years. 

On Friday night against Rutgers, Cooney became the all-time leader in career sets played at Illinois and has currently played in 521 sets in her storied career. She passes Illinois Hall of Famer Mary Eggers' previous program record of 516 sets played that she established from 1985-88.

After reaching the 1,000 kills mark a season ago on the road at Penn State, she also recently moved over 1,300 kills, 400 digs and 300 blocks in her Illini career and is closing in on 1,400 kills and 500 digs. Heading into this week's matches, Cooney currently sits at 1,395 kills, 479 digs and 325 blocks in her career. 

STRONG ILLINI BLOCK IN BIG TEN PLAY

Since the start of Big Ten play, Illinois has outblocked its opponents in all but three matches and have outblocked six of their last seven foes.

The Illini rank fifth in conference action with 2.47 blocks per set and have totaled the third most blocks in league action (126). 

Individually, the Illini have two players in the top six in the conference during league play, with junior Kennedy Collins ranking eighth with 1.16 blocks per set and classmate Kyla Swanson in 10th with 1.14 blocks per set.  

ILLINI IN NCAA & B1G RANKINGS

• Illinois is fourth the nation and leads the Big Ten in total service aces (178).

• Illinois ranks 11th in the nation and leads the Big Ten in service aces per set (1.96).

• Illinois is 40th in the NCAA in team total blocks (212.5). 

• Illinois is 60th in the NCAA in team kills (1,163). 

• Illinois is 72nd in the nation in team assists (1,053). 

• Illinois is 77th in the NCAA in blocks per set (2.34). 

• Sophomore Raina Terry is 16th in the NCAA and leads the Big Ten with 40 total aces and is 37th nationally and third in the conference with 0.44 aces per set.

• Senior Taylor Kuper ranks 30th in the NCAA and third in the Big Ten in aces (36) and is 78th in the nation and sixth in the Big Ten with 0.40 aces per set. 

• Kuper ranks sixth the conference in digs per set (4.35) and is 53rd in the nation and first in the Big Ten with 396 digs on the season.

• Terry also ranks 81st in the NCAA and is fourth in the conference with 356.5 total points on the season and is 77th nationally and sits fourth in the Big Ten with 887 attacks on the season. 

• Redshirt-junior Diana Brown ranks 19th in the NCAA and leads the conference with 906 total assists, while also sitting 73rd nationally and eighth in the Big Ten with 9.96 assists per set. 

• Junior Kennedy Collins ranks 42nd in the NCAA and fourth in the Big Ten with 101.0 total blocks. 

KUPER HITS 1,000 CAREER DIGS, CLOSING IN ON ACES RECORD

A constant in the Illini lineup through her four years at Illinois, senior Taylor Kuper reached a career milestone in the Missouri match on Sept. 17 as she collected a match-high 18 digs, with her 14th dig of the match marking her 1,000 career dig. Kuper becomes the 16th Illini to reach that mark and is currently in seventh place in program history with 1,240  career digs. 

The Lenexa, Kansas native also owns 157 career service aces and moved into third place in program history with four aces over the weekend in wins at Rutgers and No. 13 Penn State. Illini Hall of Famer Mary Eggers owns the all-time record with 180 aces from 1985-88, with Laura Bush (1987-90) sitting in second with 176.

HEAD COACH CHRIS TAMAS IN FIFTH SEASON AT THE HELM

Chris Tamas is in his fifth season as head coach of the Fighting Illini volleyball program in 2021 after being named to the position in February 2017. Tamas (pronounced Thomas) is the eighth head coach in Illinois history.

In his five seasons at the helm of the program, Tamas has made an immediate impact on Illinois volleyball and owns an overall record of 94-47 (.667), including a 55-35 (.611) mark in the nation's toughest volleyball league, the Big Ten Conference, as well as three NCAA Tournament appearances.

Illinois experienced one of its most successful seasons ever in 2018 under Tamas, who was named American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Northeast Region Coach of the Year. The Illini made the program's fourth-ever appearance in the NCAA National Semifinals as the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament – riding a 17-match win streak into the Final Four - and ended the season ranked No. 3 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches Poll. The team registered a 32-4 overall record and finished in second place in the Big Ten Conference with a 17-3 mark, with the 32 victories ranking tied for fourth-most wins in school history.

BARTSCH-HACKLEY INDUCTED TO ILLINOIS ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2020

Former Illini great Michelle Bartsch-Hackley was one of 15 former Illini greats that were named to the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020. The class includes athletes and coaches from nine different sports and covers athletes from 1901 through 2013.

Bartsch-Hackley was one of the most well-rounded stars in Fighting Illini volleyball history. Bartsch-Hackley earned AVCA Third-Team All-America honors in 2010 and 2011 and Honorable Mention recognition in 2009 and was also selected to the Volleyball Magazine All-America First-Team in 2011. She was named First-Team All-Region and All-Big Ten in 2010 and 2011, was named the AVCA Mideast Region Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year and placed on the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2008, and was honorable-mention all-conference in 2009. 

Bartsch-Hackley has been a U.S. National Team member since 2016 and is currently playing professionally in Istanbul. She helped lead Illinois to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen from 2008-10 and to the national championship match in 2011.