LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Illinois volleyball faltered in its NCAA Tournament opener against [8] Northern Iowa at the KFC Yum! Center on Friday afternoon, dropping the match in four sets.
The Fighting Illini fell to 18-13, while UNI improved to 26-7 this season.
Raina Terry and Averie Hernandez amassed double-digit kills in the match, recording 18 and 14, respectively. Defensively, the Illini were paced by Christina Martinez Mundo, who tallied 23 digs, and Cari Bohm, who notched six blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Orange and Blue struggled in the opening frame, trailing 6-3 following a three-point Panther turn. The deficit grew for the Illini, with the team falling behind, 15-7, at the media break following another 3-0 UNI run. With Northern Iowa holding all the momentum, the Fighting Illini fell, 25-16, to open the match.
Illinois battled back and forth in the second set, but three-straight points for UNI led to an Illini timeout while trailing, 12-9. The Illini continued to stumble out of the break, using their final stoppage of the set at 18-12. Unable to find a rhythm, the Orange and Blue fell, 25-16, in the set.
The Fighting Illini came out hot, using a 5-0 run to claim the 6-3 edge while forcing UNI to call a timeout to start the third set. The Panthers did not go away quietly, with an ace from the opposition cutting the advantage to a point, 8-7. Point for point, the squads battled it out, with UNI using its final timeout during an 3-0 Illini run and Illinois ahead, 15-9. The Illini continued to dominate the frame, with kills from Laynie Smith and Terry closing out the 25-16 victory in the third.
In the fourth set, Illinois called for a timeout early in the set, trailing 7-4, following a 3-0 Panther rally. The momentum favored the Panthers late into the set, with a 3-0 run putting Illinois behind, 16-9. The Fighting Illini refused to give up, using a 3-0 run that included an ace from Terry to crawl within four, 18-14. Unfortunately for the Orange and Blue, the team was unable to ever gain the lead, falling in the set, 25-21, and the match in four sets.
NOTES:
- Starters: Raina Terry, Brooke Mosher, Averie Hernandez, Cari Bohm, Ashlyn Philpot, Laynie Smith, and Christina Martinez Mundo.
- The Illini wore orange jerseys, moving to 5-4 while donning those this year.
- The Illinois volleyball program is now 3-1 against UNI.
- Chris Tamas moved to 1-1 all-time against the Panthers.
- The Illini are now 46-28 in the NCAA Tournament.
- Terry closed out her career with 220 aces, 2,138 kills and 2,522.0 points, leaving as the all-time leader in all three categories.
- Martinez Mundo logged 23 digs for her 42nd match with at least 20 digs.
    - The Illini libero finished her career with 2,209 total digs.
- Lily Barry posted a season-best 12 digs.
- Illinois loses six seniors following the 2024 season:Â Caroline Barnes, Sarah Bingham, Kayla Burbage, Christina Martinez Mundo, Raegen Reilly and Raina Terry.
