AMES, Iowa – Illinois volleyball began the Cyclone Invitational with a triumph over Toledo in straight sets at Hilton Coliseum on Friday afternoon.
The Fighting Illini improved to 4-0 on the season, while the Rockets dropped to 3-2.
As a team, Illinois registered 41 kills while hitting .349 in the match. The squad also logged 37 assists, 30 digs and seven aces.
Individually, Raina Terry paced the Illinois offense with 17Â kills, hitting .519 in the match. Brooke Mosher tallied 25 assists, while Caroline Barnes led the way with 11 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Illinois jumped out to an early 12-3 lead via a 9-0 rally with Averie Hernandez behind the service line. The Fighting Illini continued to dominate, with the Rockets burning their final timeout with the Orange and Blue ahead, 17-7. Illinois added nine-straight points following the break to reach set point, and Taylor de Boer's third-career kill put away the 25-9 opening set triumph.
In the second set, the teams battled point-for-point, with the Orange and Blue holding the slight 15-14 edge at the media break. The Illini added three-straight out of the timeout, including an ace from Hernandez, to hold the 18-15 lead. The Fighting Illini dominated down the stretch, ending the 25-19 victory in the second set on a 3-0 scoring run.
Illinois continued to cruise in the third set, owning the 13-9 advantage when Toledo called for a timeout. The Fighting Illini lead grew to six, 16-10, following a kill by Hernandez. Toledo called its final timeout with Illinois ahead, 19-12, but the break did not stall the Orange and Blue as the team took the final set, 25-18.
UP NEXT
The Orange and Blue return to face off against Cyclone Invitational host Iowa State on Saturday afternoon. First serve is slated for 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
NOTES:
- Starters: Raina Terry, Brooke Mosher, Averie Hernandez, Cari Bohm, Ashlyn Philpot, Laynie Smith and Caroline Barnes.
- The Illini wore long-sleeved white jerseys, moving to 3-0 this season while donning those.
- The Illinois volleyball program is now 2-0 all-time against Toledo.
- The squad improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2018.
- Terry tallied a pair of aces for 172 in her career.
- Terry had four kills and no errors in the opening frame.
- Terry's 1,683 career kills currently rank the outside hitter in sixth place all-time.
- Chris Tamas moved to 1-0 all-time against the Rockets.
- Attendance was called at 260.
