IOWA CITY, Iowa – Friday night's match at Xtream Arena resulted in a victory for Illinois, as the Fighting Illini topped Iowa in straight sets.
With the triumph over Iowa, Illinois moved to 14-11 overall with a 9-6 mark in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes dropped to 8-19 this season and 0-15 in league play.
The Orange and Blue tallied 47 kills while hitting .311 in the match. Raina Terry led the way with 15 kills and posted 12 digs for her second double-double of the season. The senior also tied her season-best with four aces. Jessica Nunge and Kennedy Collins also logged double-digit kills, amassing 12 and 10, respectively. Collins also added three blocks in the victory.
How it happened
Illinois rattled off a 6-0 scoring run with Terry behind the service line to hold the 9-4 advantage early in the opening frame before Iowa burned its first timeout. A 5-0 Hawkeyes turn leveled the set at 10 before a service error broke the tie. Back-and-forth, the teams battled, and a Cari Bohm kill off the Iowa overpass led to the Hawkeyes' final break of the set with the Illini ahead, 16-12. With the team continuing to cruise, Nunge got the Fighting Illini to set point with a kill from the right side, and a Terry tip over the block sealed the 25-20 victory in the opening frame.
Back-to-back aces by Terry gave the Orange and Blue the early 10-4 advantage in the second set. The Illini continued to cruise with a kill from Kayla Burbage off the Brooke Mosher assist, helping the team take the 15-10 lead. A kill by Terry from the back row helped Illinois build back a seven-point advantage, forcing the Hawkeyes to use their final timeout of the set. Out of the break, Terry added her fourth ace of the a match to give Illinois the 20-12 lead late in the frame. Despite a late 3-0 rally by the opposition, Illinois ended the frame on a 4-0 run, with a Bohm block sealing the 25-16 win.
The Orange and Blue held the momentum in the third set, with kills from Burbage and Terry helping the team gain the 9-5 edge. The team built on its advantage, and an ace from Caroline Barnes led to a timeout by the opposition with Illinois ahead, 14-7. A 3-0 run with back-to-back kills from Nunge gave the Fighting Illini the 10-point lead before the Hawkeyes used their final break of the set. Collins tallied three straight aces to give Illinois match point before Bohm put the 25-13 victory away, closing out the sweep for the Illini.
Up Next
Illinois remains on the road for a match against #1 Nebraska on Sunday afternoon. First serve against the top-ranked Huskers is slated for 2 p.m. on B1G+.
Notes
- Starters: Brooke Mosher, Raina Terry, Kayla Burbage, Kennedy Collins, Jessica Nunge, Cari Bohm and Caroline Barnes
    - Illinois moved to 2-0 with this lineup.
- The Illini wore long-sleeved orange jerseys, improving to 1-4 while donning those.
- The Illinois volleyball program moved to 71-14 against Iowa all time.
- Head coach Chris Tamas owns an undefeated 12-0 record against the Hawkeyes.
- Terry tied her season-best with four aces in the match, putting her fourth all-time with 157.
- The Illini recorded 11 aces in the match, the second-most this season and the fourth time the team tallied double digits.
- Illinois moved to 4-6 in three-set matches.
- Attendance on Friday night was called at 1,610.
