AMES, Iowa – Illinois volleyball pulled off the reverse sweep of Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday.
The Fighting Illini remained undefeated, improving to 5-0. Iowa State dropped to 3-2 with the loss.
Individually, Raina Terry led the charge with 25 kills and four aces. Brooke Mosher dished out 41 assists and 10 digs for a double-double. Caroline Barnes paced the team with 19 digs while both Ashlyn Philpot and Cari Bohm tallied four blocks apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Illinois gained an early 5-3 lead after scoring three-straight with Mosher behind the service line. Back-to-back kills from the setter put the Illini ahead 14-10, leading to a Cyclone timeout. The opposition did not go away quietly, creeping within one before the Illini used a timeout of their own. The Cyclones scored three-in-a-row out of the break to own the 21-19 edge. Terry rattled off a pair of kills, pulling the team within one, 23-22, but the late rally for Illinois was not enough as the team dropped the opening set 25-22.
The teams battled back-and-forth in the second set with the Fighting Illini owning the slight 15-12 edge at the media break. However the Cyclones charged back, taking the 18-16 lead with a 5-0 scoring run. Despite keeping the set close down the stretch, the Orange and Blue dropped the second frame 25-20.
In a must-win situation, the Fighting Illini held the 15-13 edge at the media timeout. The Illini scored a pair out of the break, including a solo block from Philpot, leading to a timeout by the opposition. A block by Terry and Bohm forced Iowa State to take its final timeout of the set with the Orange and Blue ahead 21-15. Back-to-back kills by Averie Hernandez put away the 25-17 victory in third set.
The Illini carried their moment into the fourth set, earning the 13-9 edge before ISU used a timeout. The Orange and Blue built up a six-point advantage late in the set after back-to-back aces from Christina Martinez Mundo. The team kept its composure down the stretch with Terry putting away the 25-21 triumph to force a decisive fifth set.
Both teams went point-for-point early, but a 5-0 run gave Illinois the 11-7 edge in the fifth set. A kill from Philpot got the Orange and Blue to match point and Terry put the 15-13 victory and the reverse sweep.
UP NEXT
The Orange and Blue face Wake Forest in the Cyclone Invitational finale on Sunday. First serve is slated for 12 p.m.
NOTES:
- Starters: Raina Terry, Brooke Mosher, Averie Hernandez, Cari Bohm, Ashlyn Philpot, Laynie Smith, and Caroline Barnes.
- The Illini wore long-sleeved navy jerseys, moving to 2-0 this season while donning those.
- The Illinois volleyball program is now 6-1 all-time against Iowa State.
- The Orange and Blue hit over .300 in each of the final three sets.
- Terry owns 176 career aces, placing the graduate student tied for second all-time.
- The match marked the first 20 kills game of the season for Terry, the 21st of her career.
- Terry's 1,710 career kills currently rank the outside hitter in fifth place all-time.
- The Ohio native added eight kills and one error in the third set, helping turn the tides for the Illini.
- Hernandez her first double-double, 11 kills and 10 digs, as an Illini and the second of her career.
- Chris Tamas moved to 1-0 all-time against the Cyclones.
- Attendance was called at 1,079.
