MADISON, Wis. – Illinois fell to No. 7 Wisconsin in straight sets away from home at the UW Field House on Thursday night.Â
The Illini, playing their second consecutive top-10 opponent on the road, moved to 2-1 in conference play and 7-5 on the season.
Taylor de Boer powered the Illini offense with 13 kills, her 10th outing this season with double-digit kills. Registering a .360 hitting percentage, de Boer also posted three digs and a block.
Auburn Tomkinson finished with seven kills and three blocks, while Alyssa Aguayo amassed six kills, six digs, two assists, an ace, and a block.
Kenzie Cogan set a new career-high with her team-most 10 digs. Taryn Kirsch tallied seven digs and three assists, while Averie Hernandez added six digs and a kill.
The sides traded points early, but the Badgers used a 4-0 run to establish a 13-9 edge, which forced the Illini to use a timeout. Following the brief intermission, Illinois accounted for five of the next six points, turning a four-point deficit into a one-point advantage. That lead did not last long, though, as Wisconsin scored the final 11 points of the frame to claim the first set, 25-15.
An early 4-0 run from the hosts helped the Badgers jump out to a quick three-point lead. After the Orange and Blue evened the frame at six, Wisconsin went on a 9-0 scoring stretch to put the visitors behind, 15-6. Illinois ended its scoring drought via a 5-0 run, which featured three kills from de Boer, to cut into its deficit. The home side remained in front the rest of the way, though, closing the frame with a 4-1 run to take the set, 25-17.
With the third frame knotted at 8-8, the Badgers began a 4-0 scoring stretch, which led the Illini to call a timeout while behind by four. A 4-1 Illini run cut the away side's deficit to one, but Wisconsin found an answer once again in the form of a 5-1 run to move the score up to 18-13 in the Badgers' favor. Despite the Illini fending off five match points, the hosts closed out the win en route to the sweep.
NOTES
- Taylor de Boer led the Illini in kills with 13 while hitting at a .360 clip.
- Had double-digit kills for the 10th time this season.
- Led the team in kills for the eighth time.
- Has a block in six of the last seven matches and in eight matches overall.
- Auburn Tomkinson finished with seven kills and three blocks.
- Finished with at least seven kills for the ninth time this season.
- Has at least seven kills in five consecutive outings.
- Totaled at least three blocks for the seventh time this season.
- Has 3+ blocks in four straight appearances.
- Made multiple blocks for the 11th time this season.
- Kenzie Cogan led the team with 10 digs.
- Set a new career-high with her 10 digs.
- Had double-digit digs for the first time in her career.
- Illinois is now 0-1 in the Big Ten Discover Volleyball Challenge this season.
- Head coach Chris Tamas moved to 156-99 overall during his time at the helm of the Illini.
- The Illini moved to 49-50-1 all-time against Wisconsin.
- Illinois is now 4-1 in three-set matches this season.
- The Illini are 1-2 against ranked opponents this season.
- Illinois is now 3-2 in true road matches this season.
- The Illini moved to 2-3 when wearing navy long-sleeve jerseys.
UP NEXT
Illinois (7-5, 2-1 B1G) closes the weekend at Huff Hall on Sunday, when Michigan State makes the trip to Champaign. First serve between the Illini and the Spartans is set for 1 p.m. CT on B1G+.
