CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– Illinois volleyball fell in straight sets to No. 3 Wisconsin at Huff Hall on Thursday night.
With the loss, the Fighting Illini dropped to 11-12 overall and 6-7 in Big Ten play. The Badgers improved to 18-3 this season and 12-1 against conference opponents.
The Illini hung with the Badgers early, but a 3-0 rally favored Wisconsin, putting Illinois behind 8-5. The Orange and Blue used a timeout after the team tallied three-straight attack errors, giving Wisconsin the 12-8 edge. Coming out of the break, the Illini put together a run of their own, tying the match at 12 apiece. A Badger 5-0 run led to Illinois' final timeout of the set, down 17-12. Wisconsin added two-straight following the break and despite rallying to cut the deficit to two, the Illini fell 25-22
Looking to rebound in the second set, a 3-0 rally powered the Illini to hold an early 5-2 edge. The Badgers countered the Illinois attack with a 4-0 run to knot the match at seven and pulled ahead 11-8 following another 4-0 streak. Trailing 17-12 following a 4-0 run by Wisconsin, the Fighting Illini cut the deficit to a pair with Caroline Barnes behind the service line. A Raina Terry kill late in the set left the Illini trailing by just a score, 18-17, but Wisconsin fired back to extend its advantage to three before Illinois used a timeout. The Badgers rattled off back-to-back points, closing out the 25-19 setback for the Illini.
The teams battled point-for-point in the third frame with the Illini holding the 15-13 edge at the media timeout. The advantage was short lived as a 3-0 turn in favor of the Badgers tied the stanza at 17 apiece. Illinois looked to stall the Wisconsin offense, calling a timeout after a Badger ace extended their 21-18 lead. Despite fighting off two match points, the Illini fell 25-22 to close out the loss.
Terry amassed her 119th career ace in the match. She currently holds sole possession of 10th place all-time. The outside hitter's 13 kills in the match were a team-high and gave the Marengo, Ohio, native 1,993 for her career in the Orange and Blue.
Diana Brown recorded her 4,000th career assist during the loss to Wisconsin. The setter currently ranks fifth all-time in the category.
Jessica Nunge tallied an ace in her fifth-straight match since returning to action against Ohio State (Oct. 19).
Kayla Burbage recorded a career-high 12 digs in the match. The contest marked the first time the sophomore tallied double-digit digs.
The Fighting Illini will be back in action from Huff Hall when the team welcomes No. 9 Minnesota on Sunday. The B1G+ match will begin at 1 p.m. CT.
Notes:
Starters: Kennedy Collins, Rylee Hinton, Diana Brown, Kayla Burbage, Caroline Barnes, Raina Terry and Brooke Mosher
The Illini wore sleeveless white jerseys for the fifth time of the season and are now 3-2 when wearing those.
Illinois dropped to 1-10 against ranked opponents in 2022.
The Illinois volleyball program is now 111-98 all-time playing a televised match, including a 30-43 record in Big Ten Network aired contests.
Attendance was called at 2,854.
