WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind – Illinois volleyball dropped a five-set match against USC as a part of the Boilermaker Challenge at Holloway Gymnasium on Thursday.
The Fighting Illini fell to 5-4 with the loss on Thursday. The Trojans, who are receiving votes in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll, improved to 5-4 with the win.
The Orange and Blue hit .198 in the loss, amassing 53 kills as a team. The squad tallied 46 assists, 68 digs and 10 team blocks. Brooke Mosher logged her fourth double-double of the season, tallying 43 assists and 13 digs. Raina Terry and Kayla Burbage logged double-digit kills, with 18 each. Defensively, Cari Bohm led the way with six blocks while Lily Barry recorded 13 digs.
How it happened
Illinois fell behind early, trailing 12-7 following an ace from USC. The Fighting Illini failed to find a rhythm with USC's third ace of the match putting the Orange and Blue behind, 20-13. Errors continued to plague the Illini, with a missed serve giving the Trojans set point before closing out the 25-16 loss for Illinois.
In the second frame, a 5-0 rally that included an ace from Mosher powered the Illini to hold an 11-7 advantage before the Trojans took a timeout. The Orange and Blue took the slight edge late into the set and a kill by Burbage off the Mosher dish put Illinois ahead 22-17. Following a timeout by the Trojans, Illinois scored three-straight with a Kennedy Collins kill on the on the overpass sealing the 25-17 victory.
With the match even at a set apiece, the squads kept the frame tight and an ace by Terry pushed Illinois ahead by one at the media timeout. Illinois looked to stall USC after an ace cut the Illini advantage to just a score, but back-to-back kills from Burbage and Bohm, respectively, gave Illinois the 21-18 edge. A USC service error gave the Orange and Blue set point before Terry tooled the ball off the block for the 25-21 win in the third set.
A battle back-and-forth ensued in the fourth set with a service error by USC sending Illinois into the media break ahead 15-13. However, a 4-0 turn favored the Trojans, putting Illinois behind 18-16 before a timeout for the Illini. The Orange and Blue could not capitalize with Skylar Fields behind the service line, dropping three more points before using their final timeout trailing 21-16. Terry fended off the USC set point with a kill, but the team fell, 25-20.
In the final frame, Illinois fell behind, 7-5, following a 3-0 run by the Trojan. With Collins behind the service line, the Illini knotted the match at eight apiece. Point-for-point the teams fought, but back-to-back errors by the Illini led to the team using its final timeout trailing 11-9. Despite cutting the USC lead to a score, the Fighting Illini could not stall the Trojan offense and fell in the fifth set, 15-13.
Up Next
Illinois closes out non-conference play with a match against UCF on Friday. First serve on Big Ten Network is slated for 4:30 p.m. CT.
Notes
- Starters: Brooke Mosher, Raina Terry, Kayla Burbage, Kennedy Collins, Caroline Barnes, Cari Bohm and Lily Barry
- The Illini wore long sleeved white jerseys, moving to 0-3 while donning those.
- The Illinois volleyball program moved to 3-3 against USC.
- The Orange and Blue moved to 0-2 in five-set matches.
- Terry tallied an ace, bringing her career total to 135 and putting her eighth all-time in the record books.
- Pan posted a season-high 12 digs.
- Burbage added a season-high 18 kills, one kill off her career-best.
- Mosher's five block assists was a new season-high.
- Attendance on Thursday was called at 157.
