COLUMBUS, Ohio – Raina Terry's 28-kill performance was not enough as Illinois fell to Ohio State in four sets at the Corvelli Center on Friday night.
The Fighting Illini moved to 7-10 on the year with a 2-5 Big Ten record. The Buckeyes, who received votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, improved to 7-9 this year and 4-3 in league play.
The Orange and Blue recorded 51 kills and hit .238 despite the loss. Terry's 28 kills paced the Fighting Illini, while Jessica Nunge also tallied double-digit kills, adding 11 in the match. Caroline Barnes led the way with 16 digs, while Brooke Mosher posted 35 of the teams 50 assists. Mosher also registered five of the team's season-high 12 aces.
How it happened
Illinois went back-and-forth with the Buckeyes to start the match, and a kill from Terry with Mosher on the assist helped the Illini earn the early 13-10 edge. Keeping the frame tightly contested late into the set, Nunge and Terry added back-to-back kills before Ohio State used a timeout with Illinois ahead, 20-18. Following an ace from Nunge, OSU rattled off a 4-0 run to take the one-point advantage, leading to a timeout for the Orange and Blue. Despite eight kills from Terry in the frame, Ohio State ended the set on a 3-0 run to hand the Fighting Illini the 25-23 loss.
Looking to rebound, Illinois earned the early 10-6 edge following a kill from Nunge. An ace by Vanessa Pan and Terry's 10th kill of the match extended the 17-11 advantage for Illinois, forcing the Buckeyes to burn their final timeout of the set. The team continued to cruise, hitting .423 as a squad with just one error in the frame. Terry tooled the block to close out the 25-18 victory for the Illini, tying the match at one set apiece.
A 4-0 rally favored Ohio State early in the set, putting Illinois behind, 11-10. The Orange and Blue countered the Buckeyes with a 5-0 run of their own, including three straight kills from Terry, before an OSU timeout was called with the Illini ahead, 16-12. The Buckeyes posted a pair of three-point runs, leading to an Illinois timeout with the frame knotted at 18 apiece. Despite trading points, Illinois allowed a late rally to OSU before calling a timeout trailing, 23-21. Nunge came out of the break with a kill, but back-to-back Ohio State points ended the set in favor of the Buckeyes, 25-22.
Ohio State held the momentum early in the fourth set, with Illinois taking a timeout trailing, 7-3. Despite rallying to come within a score of the Buckeyes, Ohio State built back its advantage with a 4-0 run to put the Illini behind, 11-6. A four-point run favored Illinois, with a Mosher solo stuff putting Illinois within a point of OSU. A pair of aces from the Wisconsin native helped the Illini gain the 14-12 advantage, resulting in a timeout from the opposition. Ohio State called its final timeout with Illinois ahead, 18-14, following a 3-0 run for the Orange and Blue. However, OSU did not go away quietly, taking a 19-18 lead after scoring five straight points. Back and forth, the teams battled, but Ohio State scored the final three points of the match, handing Illinois the 25-23 defeat.
Up Next
Illinois returns to Huff Hall for a conference clash with Rutgers. First serve on B1G+ is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
Notes
- Starters: Brooke Mosher, Raina Terry, Sarah Bingham, Kennedy Collins, Lily Barry, Cari Bohm and Caroline Barnes
- The Illini are 0-2 with this lineup
- The Illini wore long-sleeved blue jerseys, moving to 3-1 this year while donning those.
- The first set included 11 ties and seven lead changes.
- The Illinois volleyball program moved to 45-46 against Ohio State all time.
- Head coach Chris Tamas owns a 5-5 record against the Buckeyes.
- The Orange and Blue's 12 aces as a team were a season high.
- Terry added two aces, moving her into a tie for seventh place all-time with 141 career service aces.
- Mosher recorded a new career-high with five aces in the match.
- Terry tallied 28 kills for the 15th match of her career with 20 or more kills.
- Mosher added the 10th double-double of her career with 35 assists and 12 digs.
- Attendance on Friday night was called at 3,469.
