Illinois Volleyball Readies for NCAA Tournament Match against UNI

MATCH 31

Illinois volleyball begins the 2024 NCAA Volleyball Tournament with a match against the eighth-seeded UNI Panthers on Friday afternoon. First serve is slated for 3 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
 

The 2024 campaign marks the 51st season of Illinois volleyball, with the Illini holding an overall record of 1,081-632-7 (.632). Chris Tamas enters his eighth season at the helm for the Orange and Blue, boasting a 149-93 (.627) mark.

An audio stream of the matches will be available on FightingIllini.com/live with Tim Ditman. 

TROPHIES

For a third consecutive season, Raina Terry received All-Big Ten First Team accolades. During the regular season, the Ohio native averaged 5.27 points per set, putting Terry first in the league, while her 579.5 total points are good for second place. The graduate student's 55 aces and 486 total kills rank third in the league. 

The outside hitter posted double-figure kills in 29-of-30 matches this season, including six performances with 20-or more kills. Terry led the way in kills during 26 of the Illini's matches this year. A threat at the service line, the program's leader in aces notched 55 during the regular season. 

Terry is the only active Big Ten player with over 2,000 kills and over 200 aces. She is also the active career leader in all of Division I with 219 strikes from behind the service line.

Ashlyn Philpot became a mainstay in the Fighting Illini lineup since the first match of the season, as the middle blocker has started all 30 contests for the Orange and Blue.

In her first match at Huff Hall, the North Carolina native tallied a double-double, amassing 11 kills and 10 blocks. The last time a middle blocker achieved such a feat was Kennedy Collins in 2021. The last freshman middle to post such numbers was Illini All-American and Ali Bastianelli in 2015.

Philpot tallied double-digit kills in four Big Ten matches in her debut season, including 17 kills in a five-set triumph over #20 USC. The following night, she recorded 11 kills while hitting .667 against Ohio State. Such marks accompanied with nine roofs on the weekend helped Philpot earn her first ever Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor.

The distinction for Philpot is the first for an Illini freshman since Brooke Mosher in 2022.

In addition to the all-conference accolades, Christina Martinez Mundo was the Illinois recipient of the conference Sportsmanship Award. The fiery libero from Puerto Rico led the Illini with 381 digs this season. In three matches this year, Martinez Mundo tallied 20 or more digs, including a season-high 26 at Lipscomb.

JOURNEY AT THE TOURNEY

The 2024 NCAA Volleyball Tournament  will mark the 28th appearance for the Fighting Illini program and the fifth under head coach Chris Tamas. Illinois has made 19 regional semifinals and four national semifinals.

During the last run for the Orange and Blue in 2021, Illinois upset the reigning National Champions Kentucky in Lexington.

DRAFT DAY

With the 11th overall pick in the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation draft, Illinois volleyball's Raina Terry was selected by the Columbus, the league announced on Monday afternoon. Terry is the first player in Illinois volleyball history to be drafted in the PVF, but not the first Illini alum to play in the league. Ali Bastianelli played for San Diego Mojo in 2024.

Terry was not the only player drafted this season as Christina Martinez Mundo was selected in the Voleibol Superior Femenino League.

LAST TIME OUT

The Fighting Illini closed out the regular season with a loss to Indiana. Offensively, Raina Terry led the way with 10 kills and was a dig shy of a double-double. Cari Bohm paced the team at the net with five blocks.

SCARY TERRY  

In her final season donning the orange and blue, Raina Terry has been scary good against some of the Big Ten's best teams and in comparison to the most dominant individuals in the NCAA's top volleyball conference.

Against #7 Wisconsin, Terry posted a match-high 15 kills and a .375 hitting clip. The marks were better than reigning AVCA Player of the Year an\d back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year Sarah Franklin's stats as the Badger pin posted a mere 13 kills and a .250 hitting rate while taking the same number of swings as Terry. The hitting percentage by Terry matched All-American opposite Anna Smrek while the Illini player posted eight more attempts than the Badger.

The reign of terror continued at #4 Penn State when the Fighting Illini outside hitter amassed 19 kills while hitting .500 for the match. The 19 kills were tied for the most allowed by the Nittany Lions at home this year and were the most allowed by PSU in a three-set match. The .500 hitting efficiency was the best posted by a visiting outside hitter at Rec Hall. Terry also posted more kills than All-Americans Jess Mruzik (5) and Camryn Hannah (13) combined in the match.

Night in and night out, Illinois' outside hitter has showed up and showed out against the nation's best competitors in the league that combine for 21 AVCA All-American honors. In head-to-head Big Ten matchups, Terry has posted more kills than 18 All-Americans.

REIGN OF TERROR  

Raina Terry continues to impress as the outside hitter competes in her final season in the Orange and Blue. Terry currently averages 5.27 points per set, putting the outside first in the league, while her 579.5 total points are good for second place. The graduate student's 55 aces and 486 total kills rank third in the league. Entering Big Ten play, the Ohio native ranked second in the Big Ten with 210.5 points and 5.13 points per set this year. During the Illini's four tournaments this year, the Orange and Blue standout was named to all four all-tournament teams, being named the MVP twice.

The outside hitter is the only player in the Big Ten with over 200 career aces and over 2,000 career kills. She is currently the nations leader in career aces by a Division I player.

In her final season with the Illini, Terry became the all-time leader in kills (2,120), aces (219), and points (2,502.0).

Illinois Volleyball Career Kills Rankings

Illinois Volleyball Career Points Rankings

Illinois Volleyball Career Service Ace Rankings

1. Raina Terry - 2020-present - 219
2. Mary Eggers - 1985-88 - 180
3. Laura Bush - 1987-90 - 176
4. Taylor Kuper - 2018-21 - 173
5. Disa Johnson - 1984-87 - 154
6. Lorna Henderson - 1989-92 - 146
7. Tina Rogers - 1990-93 - 143
8. Chris Schwarz - 1985-88 - 141
9. Sandy Scholtens - 1985-88 - 131
10. Nancy Brookhart - 1986-89 - 122

LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR

Christina Martinez Mundo has earned an astounding number of digs during her collegiate career. Coming from Eastern Illinois, the libero owned 1,805 digs before her time donning the Orange and Blue and currently holds 2,186 for her career. In her five-year career, Martinez Mundo has posted at least 20 digs in 41 matches, which includes five matches with 30-plus digs.

ILLINI IN THE POLLS

On Oct. 21, Illinois received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll. It was the first time since the preseason poll in 2023 that the Orange and Blue were recognized in the rankings.

COACHING QUEEN 

The American Volleyball Coaches Association recognized its Thirty Under 30 coaches for 2024, and Illinois volleyball assistant coach Krista Hendrickson was a recipient of the honor. Read more about her accomplishments here.

MONSTER BLOCK

Fighting Illini volleyball has tallied double-digit blocks on 14 separate occasions. The team's season high of 14 roofs took place during the home opener, a four-set clash with Illinois State. The 13 stuffs at Michigan and against Rutgers were the most during a conference clash for the Orange and Blue squad. 

COLD AS ACE 

Fighting Illini outside hitter Raina Terry became the third Big Ten player in the rally scoring era to earn over 200 aces in her career. The Ohio native is already the program's all-time ace leader. The other two players to achieve the accomplishment in the rally scoring era are Penn State alum Micha Hancock and Ohio State's Emily Danks. Indiana's Camryn Haworth also surpassed 200 aces this season, following Terry to become the fourth player to achieve this feat.

NO "I" IN TEAM 

During the Illini's first meeting this year with the Wildcats of Northwestern, four different players recorded double-digit kills. Ashlyn Philpot led the way with 14 kills for the Orange and Blue. Raina Terry tallied 13 kills while Averie Hernandez and Laynie Smith recorded 11 and 10 kills, respectively.

The last time Illinois had at least four players record double-digit kills in the same match was on Dec. 3, 2021, against West Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament. During that match, five illini hit the mark: Raina Terry (18), Megan Cooney (15), Jessica Nunge (13), Kennedy Collins (11), and Kyla Swanson (10). 

Illinois came away with the victory at Iowa on Oct. 27 and four different Illini players recorded double-digit digs. Christina Martinez Mundo paced the squad with 20 digs. Terry logged 12 digs while Brooke Mosher and Lily Barry posted 10 digs apiece.

The last time the Illini had four players record double-digit digs in the same match was on Oct. 20th, 2023, at Maryland. During that five-set thriller, Brooke Mosher (17), Vanessa Pan (13), Caroline Barnes (12), and Raina Terry (10) each achieved the mark. 

HOT TO GO

You could take Illinois volleyball hot to go during the 2024 non-conference slate. The Fighting Illini went 4-0 on the road this year with wins at Bowling Green, Iowa State, WKU and Lipscomb. Overall, the Orange and Blue went 8-2 against non-conference competition.

STUFFED HUFF

Illinois volleyball's Stuff Huff match against #2 Nebraska this season was the fifth largest home crowd in program history with attendance called at 4,352. Traditionally, the Stuff Huff match has seen Huff Hall sold out just twice before this year's match. All three sellouts took place against a ranked Huskers team.

HONOR ROLL 

After an impressive 4-0 week, Illinois volleyball's Raina Terry was named the Big Ten Player of the Week, the league announced on Sept. 9.

Terry led the Fighting Illini with 73 kills and a 4.29 kills-per-set average the second week of the season. She paced the team in kills during three matches, including a pair of 20-plus kill performances at the Cyclone Invitational. In all four of the Orange and Blue victories, Terry also logged a block. The Ohio native was not only a force at the net but also from behind the service line, amassing 21 aces for a 1.24 aces-per-set average.

For the Cyclone Invitational alone, Terry averaged 4.77 kills per set, totaling 62 for the tournament and owning a .304 hitting percentage for the weekend. In a three-set match against Toledo, Terry notched 17 kills and a .552 hitting clip, posting just one error during the opener. Against host Iowa State, the outside hitter rattled off a season-high 25 kills and four aces in the thrilling triumph. She followed the performance with 20 kills in the tournament finale against Wake Forest. For her efforts, Terry was named the Cyclone Invitational tournament MVP.

The conference player of the week award is a first for Terry. The outside hitter has earned AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten First Team honors the last two seasons. She was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Week in 2020. The last Big Ten Player of the Week to don the Orange and Blue was Jacqueline Quade in 2018.

Ashlyn Philpot was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the league announced on Nov. 11.

Philpot helped the Illini go 2-0 last week, including a win over #20 USC. The middle blocker posted back-to-back double-digit kill performances over the weekend, amassing 28 kills with a 3.5 kills-per-set average and a .511 hitting percentage. The North Carolina native also amassed 10 roofs for a 1.25 blocks-per-set average.

Against the ranked Trojans, Philpot posted a new career-best 17 kills while hitting .433. Defensively, the freshman recorded a solid performance that included four blocks and a dig.

The next day against Ohio State, Philpot tallied 11 kills and a .667 hitting clip. The middle blocker paced the team with six roofs and added a pair of digs. 

Philpot becomes the first freshman to earn the award since teammate Raina Terry took home the honor in 2020.

FEELIN' 22

Brooke Mosher became the first Illinois player in over 25 years to post a triple-double when she helped Illinois to victory over Wake Forest. Mosher tallied 32 assists,10 kills and 10 digs in the five-set thriller. The last Illini to post a triple-double was Betsy Spicer on Sept. 19, 1998, when she notched 13 kills, 13 digs and 11 blocks. The last triple-double to include assists, kills and digs was recorded by Melissa Beitz in 1997, when the setter added 60 assists, 11 kills and 10 digs. The triple-double by Mosher was the 13th in program history. 

PARTY LIKE IT'S 2018 

The Fighting Illini started the 2024 season on a high note, going undefeated through their first six matches. The start was the best for the program since 2018, when the Illini began the year with an impressive 14-0 record.

HERE FISHY FISHY

True freshmen have made an impact for the Illini squad this season. Laynie Smith notched 11 kills in her collegiate debut against Cincinnati on Aug. 30. The opposite became the first true freshman donning the Orange and Blue to post double-digit kills in her collegiate debut since Jacqueline Quade recorded a squad-best 15 kills against Arkansas on Aug. 26, 2016. She was named to the Best Western Invitational All-Tournament team.

Ashlyn Philpot earned a starting role at middle blocker and made a splash during her first collegiate matches. The North Carolina native earned her first collegiate double-double against Illinois State, amassing 11 kills and 10 blocks. The last freshman middle to record one was Ali Bastianelli in 2015. After an impressive weekend at the Cyclone Invitational, Philpot was named to the all-tournament team.

More about how Philpot and Smith found success here.

ACE, ACE, BABY

The Fighting Illini tallied double-digit aces in both matches at the Best Western Invitational. Against Cincinnati, Brooke Mosher had the hot hand, racking up seven strikes from the service line to tie her career best. It was a team effort to reach 12 aces against Bowling Green, with six different players chipping in.

In a five-set match against Iowa State, the Illini recorded 10 aces. Raina Terry led the way during the triumph with four strikes from the service line.

At Michigan State, Illinois tallied 12 aces, the most by the Fighting Illini in a conference match this season. Mosher paced the squad with five in the five-set thriller.

THE TIES THAT BIND

This season, a few opponents will look quite familiar to members of the Illini squad. The season opener against Cincinnati puts Vivian Campbell against her former squad as the setter played for the Bearcats in 2023. Outside hitter Averie Hernandez began her career at Northwestern but joined the Orange and Blue squad this past offseason. Kayla Burbage also started her collegiate journey at Missouri.

SISTER, SISTER

It will be a family affair for a pair of Illini this season as the Orange and Blue face off against two teams that include current member's siblings. Averie Hernandez faced off against her sister, Sydnie, at Bowling Green during the opening weekend. Raegen Reilly saw her sister, Bergen, twice this year, with the Illini taking on Nebraska at Huff Hall on Oct. 3 and in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 25.

OPPONENT SCOUT

Northern Iowa finished the regular season with a 25-7 overall record while going 18-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference. This is the Panthers second-straight season going undefeated in conference play and their third-straight MVC regular season title. Last week, UNI took home their third-straight MVC tournament title, taking down Illinois State in straight sets and beating UIC 3-1 in the championship. 

As a team, the Panthers led the country in kills per set this season with 14.71 while also holding opponents to a .152 hitting percentage, ranking them top-10 in the country in that department. Head coach Bobbi Paterson earned the MVC Coach of the Year award for the ninth time in her career, with outside hitter Kira Fallert being named MVC Co-Player of year and libero Erin Powers earning MVC Co-Libero of the year honors. 

The all-time series between Illinois and Northern Iowa favors the Illini 3-0. Friday's match will be the second meeting between these two programs in the NCAA tournament, with the Orange and Blue defeating the Panthers 3-1 in the first round of the 1986 tournament. The last meeting took place on Sept. 14, 2018, at Huff Hall, where the Illini won in straight sets. Head coach Chris Tamas owns a 1-0 career record against UNI.

GROWING OUR FAMILLY

After losing six players from last year's squad, the Fighting Illini added eight newcomers to its 2024 team. Four freshmen joined the Illini: Kenzie Cogan, Ashlyn Philpot, Christine Pullen and Laynie Smith.

Illinois also announced the addition of four transfer students in the offseason. Raegen Reilly, Averie Hernandez, Vivian Campbell and Christina Martinez Mundo will don the Orange and Blue in 2024.

Reilly and Hernandez have ties to other Big Ten teams, with Reilly's sister, Bergen, playing for Nebraska and Hernandez transferring from Northwestern. 

JORDYN IN PARIS

Illinois volleyball alum Jordyn Poulter represented the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer. The Red, White and Blue team captain helped Team USA secure its fifth-straight medal, silver, at the Olympic Games.

The All-American setter was one of 12 selected for the Olympic roster. Eight Big Ten players made the U.S. roster for the 2024 Olympics. Poulter became the only Fighting Illini volleyball alum to make two Olympic rosters. Poulter and former Illini All-American Michelle Barsch-Hackley helped the U.S. earn its first-ever gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Kirsten Gleis represented Holland at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, marking Poulter's addition to the U.S. squad as the fourth time a Fighting Illini alum has made an Olympic team.

During her time in the Orange and Blue, Poulter was a three-time All-American, earning first-team accolades as a senior in 2018. During her stellar senior campaign, the Colorado native was named the Big Ten Co-Setter of the Year, AVCA Northeast Region Player of the Year and a finalist for the Honda Award. Poulter also led the Illini to the program's fourth-ever NCAA National Semifinal appearance.

...READY FOR IT?

For a third straight year, Raina Terry was named to the Big Ten Preseason Team. Terry was one of 18 conference student-athletes to earn the accolade.

Two-time AVCA all-region selection and two-time All-Big Ten First Team member returned for her final season in the Orange and Blue. The outside hitter announced her return for a fifth year during her Senior Day following the Illini's triumph over Michigan in 2023.

Terry closed out her senior campaign leading the Big Ten with 618 total points and finishing third with 539 total kills. At the end of the regular season, the outside hitter's 4.69 kills per set ranked sixth nationally and second in the conference, while her 5.37 points per set were seventh in the country and second in the league. At the end of 2023, the marks ranked eighth and ninth in the country, respectively.

In conference play alone, the senior placed second with 5.41 points per set and third with 4.72 kills per set. Terry also added 0.37 aces per set to rank 10th in the league. The 28 strikes from the service line were fifth best in the league.

During her reign of terror last season, Terry logged 10 matches with 20 or more kills, including seven against league opponents. The six-rotation outside hitter also registered three double-doubles last year. Terry paced the squad in kills during 28 of 30 matches in 2023.

The Marengo, Ohio, native was the first player in the Big Ten to reach 500 kills last year, eclipsing the mark on her Senior Night in the Illini's match against Michigan (Nov. 18). In the Orange and Blue's contest at Ohio State, Terry posted a career-best 28 kills in just four sets against the Buckeyes.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2023

With Chris Tamas at the helm for his seventh season, the Fighting Illini posted a 16-14 record with a 11-9 mark in Big Ten play. For a second-straight season, Raina Terry took home All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-Region honors.

Illinois owned a six-match winning streak during Big Ten play, including a top-25 victory over then-No. 16 Purdue (3-1) at Huff Hall. 

In 2023, the Orange and Blue tallied double-digit roofs in 12 contests. The team's season-high 17 blocks came on two separate occasions, against Michigan State on Sept. 24 and at Maryland on Oct. 22. In matches where the Illini led opponents in blocks, Illinois owned a 13-3 record.

Illinois registered a season-best 12 service aces at Ohio State on Oct. 13 and again against the Buckeyes on Nov. 15. Individually, Brooke Mosher led the way both times, logging five aces during the four-set battle in Columbus and a career-high seven strikes from the service line at Huff Hall. 

HEAD COACH CHRIS TAMAS AT THE HELM

Chris Tamas enters his eighth season as head coach of the Fighting Illini volleyball program in 2024 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 149-90 (.627), including a 90-66 (.588) 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 had multiple first-team honorees 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.