ANN ARBOR, MICH. – Illinois volleyball completed its road trip with a four-set victory against RV Michigan at Cliff Keen Arena on Saturday night.
The Fighting Illini moved to 13-13 overall and 8-8 in Big Ten play. Michigan dropped to 15-11 on the season and 6-10 against conference opponents.
The teams kept the opening set tight, seeing 12 lead changes and 22 ties during the first frame. Michigan burned a timeout following back-to-back points for the Orange and Blue that put the Illini squad ahead 22-20. The Wolverines strung together a 3-0 run following the break, leading to an Illinois timeout down by one. The squads continued to go back-and-forth, with the set heading into extra points, but a 3-0 run capped off with an ace by Jessica Nunge ended the 29-27 victory for Illinois.
Holding all the momentum, the Illini jumped out to earn the 10-6 edge early in the frame. Michigan climbed back within one, and an error at the service line for the Illini put the Wolverines up by a point. Trailing 19-18, the Illini took control, rattling off a 5-0 run. A block by Brooke Mosher and Rylee Hinton gave the Illini set point before Raina Terry put away the 25-21 triumph in the second set.
A 4-0 Michigan run early in the set led to an Illinois timeout trailing 11-9. The Wolverines posted back-to-back points before a kill by Terry snapped the rally by the opposition. A 4-0 turn by the Orange and Blue led to a Michigan timeout with the set tied at 17. The Illini added a point following the break, but a 4-0 rally favored Michigan, leaving the Illini behind 21-18. Terry broke up the run with a kill, but the Illini continued to trail 21-19. Despite fending off set point, Michigan took the third set 25-22.
The Fighting Illini looked to rebound in the fourth frame, jumping out to a 17-13 lead with back-to-back kills from Nunge. However, a 3-0 turn favored Michigan, leading to an Illinois timeout with the Orange and Blue hanging onto a one-point lead. Nunge snapped the rally with a kill while also sparking a 3-0 run for the Illini that gave the squad the 20-16 edge. Not letting up, the Illinois closed out the match scoring three-straight points to take the final set 25-19.
Terry led the Illini with 18 kills during the victory. Mosher earned a double-double, her fourth of the year, tallying 11 kills and 11 digs.
Diana Brown paced the offense with 46 assists. Caroline Barnes and Mosher recorded 11 digs apiece while Hinton tallied nine blocks.
Notes:
Starters: Kennedy Collins, Rylee Hinton, Diana Brown, Caroline Barnes, Jessica Nunge, Raina Terry and Brooke Mosher
The Illini wore long sleeved orange jerseys for the seventh time of the season and are now 4-3 when wearing those.
As a team, the Illini logged 13 service aces. The achievement was the most recorded by the squad since logging a program-best 18 aces against Missouri State on Sept. 9.
The Illini moved to 52-27 against the Wolverines. This includes a 25-14 mark on the road.
