Matches Against Ohio State, Rutgers Up Next for Illini Volleyball

MATCHES 17-18

Illinois volleyball gets set for a pair of Big Ten matches this weekend. The Fighting Illini travel to Ohio State for a Big Ten match against the Buckeyes on Friday night at 6 p.m. CT. Following the match, the team hosts Rutgers at Huff Hall on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Both matches will be streamed on B1G+.

The 2023 campaign marks the 50th season of Illinois volleyball, with the Illini holding an overall record of 1,057-619-7 (.628). Chris Tamas enters his seventh season at the helm for the Orange and Blue, boasting a 122-76 (.616) mark.

An audio stream of the matches will be available on FightingIllini.com/live or live in the Champaign area on WDWS 1400AM & 93.9FM with Tim Ditman. 

LAST TIME OUT

The Fighting Illini fell to top-ranked Wisconsin on Saturday night in a stuffed Huff Hall. Raina Terry led the way once again offensively, tallying a team-high 15 kills, her third consecutive outing in double figures. Terry also registered eight digs and one ace, moving her to 139 career aces, which ranks eighth all-time in program history. Caroline Barnes tallied her fifth double-digit dig performance of the season with a team-high total of 12. Cari Bohm once again brought physicality at the net, leading the Illini with four total blocks, her 10th outing this season with at least four roofs.

ILLINOIS VS. THE FIELD

The series between the Buckeyes and Fighting Illini is locked in a 45-45 tie. However, Illinois has dropped the last four meetings, with Ohio State sweeping the Orange and Blue during the last two battles. During his time at the helm for the Illini, head coach Chris Tamas owns a 5-4 mark against Ohio State.

Illinois holds the 14-1 advantage in the series with the Scarlet Knights, having won 14 straight matches. When hosting Rutgers, Illinois is undefeated in matches and in sets, having swept the team on six separate occasions. During his tenure, Tamas is 7-0 against Rutgers.

ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS

Terry is currently ranked in the top-10 nationally in several categories. The senior outside hitter comes into the week third nationally in attacks per set (13.02) and ninth for points per set (5.25). Terry's 4.62 kills per set is seventh nationally and first in the conference, while her 267 total kills also rank first in the league and also 13th nationally. Her 794 total attacks also pace the Big Ten and are the fifth-most in the country. With 320 total points, the Ohio native currently sits atop the league standings and 15th in all of Division I. In the Illinois career rankings, Terry sits in 13th all-time with 1,377 career kills.

THE 400 CLUB

Illinois graduate student Kennedy Collins tallied her 400th career block against UCF as a part of the Boilermaker Challenge. Playing all five years of her career in the Orange and Blue, Collins has 45 solo roofs and 379 block assists, so far. During her junior campaign, the Zion, Ill., native recorded 126 total blocks, averaging 1.07 blocks per set.In this season alone, Collins has already recorded nine solo blocks and 61 block assists. She currently ranks 15^th in the Illini all-time rankings.

OPPONENT SCOUT

Ohio State, which is receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll (AVCA), comes into the match at 6-9 this season, owning a 3-3 record in Big Ten play. All nine losses for the Buckeyes this year have come against ranked opponents, including a five-set defeat on Saturday at then-ranked #14 Penn State. Emily Londot ranks behind Illinois standout Raina Terry in a pair of offensive categories, placing eighth in the nation and second in the Big Ten with 12.04 attacks per set and 4.57 kills per set. 

Rutgers enters the week at 9-7 overall and 1-5 against Big Ten opponents in 2023. The Scarlet Knights picked up their first-ever win over a top-25 opponent during their last outing, downing then-ranked #16 Minnesota, 3-1. Reigning Big Ten Setter of the Week Alyssa Nayar averages 8.85 assists per set. Last week, the fifth-year totaled 82 assists (10.25 assists per set) against a pair of top-25 opponents.

BIG BLOCK O'CLOCK

The Fighting Illini block has caused problems for opponents so far this season. Through 16 matches, the Orange and Blue have tallied double-digit roofs in eight contests. The team's 17 blocks against the Spartans of Michigan State on Sept. 24 marked a season-high for Illinois. In matches when the Illini lead opponents in blocks, Illinois owns a 7-3 record.

NUNGE NATION

Jessica Nunge returned to the Fighting Illini volleyball team for her fifth year, as announced on Sept. 1. The outside hitter made her season debut in the second set against Wichita State. For the full story on Nunge's decision to return, click here.

REIGN OF TERROR

For a second straight year, Raina Terry was named to the Big Ten Preseason Team. Terry was one of 15 conference student-athletes to earn the accolade.

The outside hitter was a unanimous All-Big Ten first-team selection following her junior season. The Marengo, Ohio, native joined an elite group of 32 Illini players who have earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Northeast All-Region honors.

Last season, Terry led the Orange and Blue with 444 kills and 4.07 kills per set. The outside hitter paced the Big Ten with 363 points during conference play, averaging 3.04 points per set. 

During her junior campaign, Terry recorded over 20 kills on three separate occasions, all during Big Ten play. She tallied a season-high 24 kills against both Purdue (Sept. 30) and Penn State (Oct. 26). Her first effort came against Maryland on Sept. 23, when she logged 20 kills in a four-set battle on the road.

TERRY ENTERS CAREER ACES TOP-10

Six-rotation outside hitter Raina Terry owns 139 career service aces. Terry tallied 28 aces as a freshman, 55 as a sophomore, and 45 last year. Already with 11 aces during her senior campaign, the Ohio native is currently eighth on Illinois' all-time career aces rankings. She also sits 22nd nationally for career aces.

Illinois Volleyball Career Service Ace Rankings

1. Mary Eggers - 1985-88 - 180 aces
2. Laura Bush - 1987-90 - 176
3. Taylor Kuper - 2018-21 - 173
4. Disa Johnson - 1984-87 - 154
5. Lorna Henderson - 1989-92 - 146
6. Tina Rogers - 1990-93 - 143
7. Chris Schwarz - 1985-88 - 141
8. Raina Terry - 2020-present - 139
9. Sandy Scholtens - 1985-88 - 131
10. Nancy Brookhard - 1986-89 - 122

ILLINI IN THE PRESEASON POLL

Illinois volleyball was picked to finish seventh in the league standings in 2023, the conference announced in late July. Reigning national champion Wisconsin was picked as the conference favorite for the 2023 volleyball season as voted on by the Big Ten coaches, while Nebraska was picked to finish second and Minnesota was tabbed third. 

HEAD COACH CHRIS TAMAS AT THE HELM

Chris Tamas enters his seventh season as head coach of the Fighting Illini volleyball program in 2023 after being named to the position in February 2017. Tamas (pronounced Thomas) is the eighth head coach in Illinois history.

In his time with the program, Tamas has made an impressive impact on Illinois volleyball and owns an overall record of 122-76 (.616), including a 71-53 (.579) mark in the nation's toughest volleyball league, the Big Ten Conference, as well as four NCAA Tournament appearances, including three NCAA Regional appearances and a trip to the Final Four in 2018. 

Tamas most recently earned his 100th career win - with all 100 coming at the helm of the Illini program - after leading Illinois to its third trip to the Sweet 16 in five seasons after back-to-back wins to open the 2021 NCAA tournament, including a four-set win over 2020-21 national champion and No. 7 seed Kentucky in Lexington. The Illini finished the 2021 season ranked No. 16 in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll with a 22-12 overall record and finished seventh with a 12-8 mark in the Big Ten Conference.  

Illinois experienced one of its most successful seasons ever in 2018 under Tamas, who was subsequently named 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 ending the season ranked No. 3 in the 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 in school history.

Under Tamas' leadership, the Illini collected a number of individual honors, highlighted by AVCA All-America First-Team selections in Jordyn Poulter and Jacqueline Quade – the first time in program history Illinois has had multiple first-team honors in a season – as well as a Third-Team selection in Ali Bastianelli. Poulter and Bastianelli, who also garnered All-America Third-Team honors in 2017, were also named Senior CLASS Award finalists and CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees. The trio also collected unanimous All-Big Ten First Team accolades, with junior Ashlyn Fleming named to the second team and Poulter garnering the Illini's first-ever Big Ten Conference Co-Setter of the Year honor.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

The 2023 schedule features a nonconference slate of 10 matches with a pair of opponents from last year's NCAA Tournament. The Orange and Blue squad will face Big Ten opponents in 20 matches, including home-and-home series with Purdue, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, three NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago.

Breakdown of opponents for the 2023 Big Ten schedule:

Home & Away – Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, Purdue, Ohio State, Rutgers, Wisconsin
Home Only – Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State
Away Only – Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska

Schedule Notes

• 30 total matches
• 13 matches at Huff Hall
• 14 away matches, three neutral-site matches
• NCAA Tournament:
    - Qualifiers: 8 (Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, UCF, USC, Wisconsin)
    - Sweet 16: 5 (Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin)
    - Elite Eight: 2 (Ohio State, Wisconsin)
• Season opener: Aug. 26 at Northern Illinois
• Home opener:  Aug. 29 vs. Valparaiso 
• B1G opener: Sept. 20 at Indiana
• B1G home opener: Sept. 24 vs. Michigan State