EUGENE, Ore. – Illinois volleyball fell in straight set to #11 Oregon in the team's Big Ten opener on Friday night at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Fighting Illini moved to 8-3 this season and 0-1 in league play. The ranked Ducks picked up their first-ever Big Ten win while moving to 9-1 on the year.
Raina Terry led all players with 16 kills and four aces in the match. Brooke Mosher dished out 23 assists in the loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Illinois went point-for-point with the Ducks early in the frame, with a Lily Barry ace locking the set at 11. However, a 3-0 Oregon rally led to an Illini timeout with the Orange and Blue trailing 17-14. The opposition posted another run, extending the seven-point deficit. While the Fighting Illini fended off four Oregon set points, the squad ultimately dropped the frame, 25-21.
Four-straight kills by the Illini from the hands of Laynie Smith and Terry helped knot the set at 12, leading to Oregon's first timeout of the second set. With Terry behind the service line, the program's ace leader rattled off a pair of strikes from the service line during a six-point run that allowed Illinois to pull ahead 19-15. The Ducks chipped away at the Illini advantage, tying the set at 20 before the Orange and Blue called a timeout. Four-straight for the Ducks led to set point for the opposition and while an Averie Hernandez kill stopped the rally, the Illini fell 25-22 in the second set.
Oregon held all the momentum in the third set, taking the early 7-1 lead over Illinois. With Mosher serving, the Fighting Illini came withing five points of the Ducks but continued to trail 16-8 at the time of the Orange and Blues final timeout. Mistakes continued to plague the Illini as the team faltered in the final set, 25-13.
UP NEXT
The Orange and Blue head to Washington for a Big Ten match. First serve is scheduled for 9 p.m. CT on B1G+.
NOTES:
- Starters: Raina Terry, Brooke Mosher, Averie Hernandez, Cari Bohm, Ashlyn Philpot, Laynie Smith, and Christina Martinez Mundo.
- The Illini wore short-sleeved navy jerseys for the first time.
- The Illinois volleyball program is now 2-3 against Oregon
- Terry's 1,823 career kills currently rank the outside hitter in third place all-time.
- Chris Tamas moved to 0-1 all-time against the Ducks.
- Illinois dropped to 0-1 in televised matches.
- Attendance was called at 3,847.
