COLLEGE PARK, Md. – A five-set thriller favored Illinois as the Fighting Illini topped Maryland in a Big Ten battle at the XFINITY Center Pavilion on Friday night.
The Fighting Illini improved to 9-10 on the year with a 4-5 Big Ten record. The Terrapins dropped to 13-8 overall and 3-6 in league play this season.
The Orange and Blue hit .209 during the victory with 50 kills and 47 assists. The team tied their season best with 17 blocks and also added nine service aces in the match.
Jessica Nunge paced the squad with a season-best 15 kills on .308 hitting during the triumph over the Terps. Kayla Burbage also added double-digit kills, posting 10 in the match. Kennedy Collins led the way with nine blocks, the second time this year she's tallied nine roofs. Brooke Mosher notched a squad-best 17 digs and 36 assists.
How it happened
Illinois began the match going point-for-point with the Terps, but a 3-0 rally with Caroline Barnes behind the service line helped the team hold the early 13-8 advantage. Back-to-back kills from Nunge led to Maryland's final timeout with the Fighting Illini ahead, 18-12. The Terrapins strung together a 4-0 run before the Illini burned a timeout, clinging to the 22-18 lead. Raina Terry's kill from the outside put Illinois at set point, and a block from the senior and Collins closed out the 25-21 win in the opening frame.
Both squads kept the second set close, with 14 ties and three lead changes along the way. Illinois held the 15-14 advantage at the media break, but Maryland was the first to reach the 20-point mark following an error on the Orange and Blue. Maryland added three straight to own the 23-19 advantage before Illinois used its final timeout. However, the break did not stall the Terps, as the opposition took the set, 25-22.
With the match even at a set apiece, an early 3-0 run that included a kill from Terry helped the Illini take a 7-2 lead, forcing Maryland to use a timeout. Nunge sparked another 3-0 run following a kill with Mosher on the assist, leading to the Terrapins' final break with Illinois in command, 13-7. The Orange and Blue added five straight points, including three aces from Collins, to extend the 18-7 advantage. Collins gave the Fighting Illini set point on the slide before a service error for Maryland gave the Orange and Blue the 25-15 triumph in the third set.
Illinois fell behind early in the fourth frame, with the Illini using a timeout trailing, 6-3. Maryland built its lead to six before four straight Orange and Blue scores -- including stuffs from Mosher, Terry and Collins -- cut the deficit for the Orange and Blue. Nunge tied the set at 11 apiece before an attack error from Maryland gave the Illini their first lead of the set. The advantage was short lived, with the Terps building back their five-point edge, 17-12, late in the set. The deficit proved to be too much for the Illini to overcome, with the team falling, 25-22.
Back-and-forth the teams went, but when it came time to switch sides of the floor, the Fighting Illini held the slight 8-7 edge. A 3-0 turn sparked by a Burbage kill allowed the Illini to pull away, 12-8, late in the set. Burbage gave the Illini set point with an attack from the pin, and Collins and Terry sealed the match with a roof for the 15-10 victory in the final frame.
Up Next
Illinois returns to action with a match at Rutgers on Sunday. First serve from Jersey Mike's Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT on B1G+.
Notes
- Starters: Brooke Mosher, Raina Terry, Kayla Burbage, Kennedy Collins, Jessica Nunge, Cari Bohm and Caroline Barnes
- This was the first time the Illini used this lineup
- The Illini wore long sleeved anthracite jerseys moving to 1-1 this year while donning those.
- The Illinois volleyball program moved to 15-0 against Maryland all time.
- Head coach Chris Tamas remains undefeated against the Terps, owning a 9-0 record.
- The Fighting Illini is now 2-3 in five-set matches
- Nunge posted double-figure kills for the third straight match.
- Illinois' 17 blocks was the 10th time the team tallied double-digit roofs this year.
- Attendance on Friday night was called at 692.
