Illini Fly to East Coast for Road Swing at Maryland, Rutgers

MATCHES 14+15

Illinois begins its four-match road swing on the East Coast for away contests against Maryland and Rutgers. The Illini will take on the Terrapins on Friday at 6 p.m. CT before battling the Scarlet Knights on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT.

Both matches will stream on B1G+.

LAST TIME OUT

Illinois returned to winning ways in a five-set thriller against Michigan State on Oct. 5. The Fighting Illini improved to 3-1 in Big Ten play and extended their home winning streak to three matches.

Closing the fifth frame on an 11-1 run, the Orange and Blue remained perfect in five-set matches this season. 

Kenna Phelan, posting 50+ assists for the first time in her career, finished with a career-most 57 helpers while also tallying nine digs, three total blocks, two solo stuffs, and two kills. 

Alyssa Aguayo secured her sixth double-double of the season with her career-high 18 kills and 10 digs. Posting double-digit kills for the 10th time and 10+ digs for the seventh outing this season, she hit .324 while also adding two blocks, two aces, and two assists.

Taylor de Boer equaled her career-best offensive output with 18 kills on her team-high 41 swings. With her .366 hitting percentage, she also made one block.

Ashlyn Philpot recorded 13 kills while swinging at a .611 clip. She also totaled a career-high two aces, along with a career-most six digs and three blocks. Kayla Burbage collected a season-most 11 kills with a .476 hitting percentage. She also equaled her season-best with six blocks, including a solo stuff, while tacking on three digs.

Defensively, Taryn Kirsch ended the afternoon with 19 digs in addition to her five assists, while Averie Hernandez amassed 12 digs, a kill, and an ace.

OPPONENT SCOUT

Maryland enters Friday's matchup with a 7-7 overall record and an 0-4 mark in Big Ten play, with the Terps seeking their first conference win after dropping matches to Iowa, #1 Nebraska, Rutgers, and #16 Penn State.

The Terrapins return several key contributors from last season, including middle blocker Eva Rohrbach and defensive specialist Ally Williams, both of whom continue to make significant impacts again in 2025. Rohrbach ranks second on the team at the net with 66 total blocks – averaging 1.20 per set, while Williams anchors the back row with 3.27 digs per set.

Offensively, Ajack Maluai averages 3.53 kills per set and paces the team with 27 service aces. Setter Lilly Wagner runs the offense with 7.91 assists per set, while also contributing 2.33 digs per set defensively.

Rutgers comes into Saturday's matchup against Illinois with a 10-6 overall record and a 1-3 mark in Big Ten play. Three of the Scarlet Knights' first four Big Ten opponents have been ranked in the top 12 of the AVCA poll at the time of their match, with Rutgers' victory coming in a 3-1 triumph over Maryland on Oct. 3.

Earlier this season, Rutgers put together a seven-match winning streak, its longest since 2012, highlighted by six sweeps. During that stretch, Aspen Maxwell led the attack with 4.41 kills per set on a .361 hitting percentage, while Tara Garvey added steady offensive support at 3.09 kills per set.

At the net, Zora Hardison and Natalie Robinson anchor the Scarlet Knights' blocking unit. Hardison has been among the Big Ten leaders in solo blocks and is approaching several program career records. Setter Lily Bolen runs the offense with 10.35 assists per set and contributes defensively with 2.11 digs per set, while Alleigh Dutton leads the back row at 3.31 digs per set.

SERIES HISTORY

Heading into the 17th all-time meeting between Illinois and Maryland, the Illini hold a commanding 16-0 record against the Terps since the series began back in 1993. Illinois is 6-0 when playing Maryland away from home, while 11 of the Illini's 16 victories in the series have come via sweeps.

The Orange and Blue have also found success against the Scarlet Knights with a 17-1 record against Rutgers. Illinois has won the last 17 contests between the sides after the Scarlet Knights claimed a 3-2 victory in the first-ever meeting in 1981. The Illini are a perfect 8-0 against Rutgers on the road.

TOP-10 ROAD WIN

Illinois secured its first ranked victory of the season with a four-set road triumph at #10 Purdue on Sept. 28 in the team's first conference road match of the season.

In front of a hostile crowd at Mackey Arena, the Orange and Blue's victory marked their first triumph over a top-10 opponent since 2021, while the Illini improved to 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2022.

Ashlyn Philpot collected 12 kills, including the final point of the afternoon to seal the victory. Hitting at a .429 clip, she also notched four blocks and accounted for the Illini's final three kills of the day. 

Alyssa Aguayo and Auburn Tomkinson also ended the afternoon with double-digit kills. Aguayo amassed 11 kills, five digs, four assists, and a block, while Tomkinson tallied 11 kills and added a career-high five blocks and a dig.

Taylor de Boer led the Illini in kills once again, finishing with 17. She also logged a block and a dig.

Defensively, Taryn Kirsch totaled a career-high 21 digs alongside her five assists, while Kenna Phelan posted her fourth double-double of the season with 39 assists and 10 digs.

DE BOER EARNS 2025 ATHLETESCAN TRUE SPORT AWARD

Illinois redshirt sophomore Taylor de Boer was recognized at the 2025 Canadian Sport Awards as this year's recipient of the AthletesCAN True Sport Award.

The True Sport Award recognizes an inspirational Canadian citizen who exemplifies true sport values of fairness, excellence, inclusion, and fun in a meaningful way. Through the pursuit of sporting excellence this Canadian hero showcases dedication, perseverance, sportsmanship, respect for others, and a true love of sport.

A native of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, de Boer was honored for her perseverance and resilience throughout her battle with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) vasculitis, a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the kidneys, joints, lungs, and other small vessels. Diagnosed prior to her first season with the Fighting Illini in 2023, de Boer had just returned from being a team captain for Canada's U19 team at the Pan American Cup.

Only 17 years old at the time of her diagnosis in the summer of 2023, she spent the next month in critical care at the OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria. She used her time in the hospital to get involved with Uplifting Athletes, which raises awareness and funds for rare diseases. Continuing her work as she continued her treatment and recovery, she was tabbed a Rare Disease Champion by the organization.

Other finalists for this year's award included Eric Furtado-Rodrigues (Wheelchair Rugby) and Ruby Stevens (Para Swimming and Wheelchair Rugby).

PHELAN GOOD

Kenna Phelan was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week on Sept. 29 after leading the Fighting Illini to a 2-0 week with wins against [RV] Oregon and at #10 Purdue.

Phelan averaged 9.4 assists/set and 2.4 digs/set over the course of the two-match weekend, totaling 66 assists, 17 digs, two kills, two aces, and a block. She tallied 27 assists while making seven digs and tacking on an ace and a block in the Illini's against the Ducks. Two days later, in her first career Big Ten road match, Phelan recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 39 assists and 10 digs against the #10-ranked Boilermakers. She also added two kills and an ace as the Orange and Blue earned their first top-10 victory since 2021.

She became the first Illini to secure Big Ten Setter of the Week honors since Diana Brown during the 2021 season.

IMMEDIATE IMPACTS

Freshman Alyssa Aguayo averaged 2.86 kills, 3.31 points, 2.29 digs, and 0.41 blocks per set across her 49 sets of action while starting all 13 matches. Also totaling six double-doubles thus far, she became the first Illini true freshman with 10+ kills in their first six collegiate matches since 2016, when Jacqueline Quade also had 10+ kills in her first six matches.

Fellow freshman Taryn Kirsch has donned the libero jersey across the Illini's first 13 matches, marking the team's first freshman starter at the position since 2023. Kirsch leads the Illini in digs, averaging 3.02 digs/set, and set a career-high with 21 digs in the Illini's four-set win at #10 Purdue.

Auburn Tomkinson, a redshirt sophomore, has made an immediate impact at Illinois after transferring from Texas, where she spent her first two seasons but did not play. The California native has 10+ kills in five matches while starting in all but two contests thus far in her Illini career.

Kenna Phelan stepped into the Illini's starting setter spot after playing her first two seasons at Florida State. She has logged four double-doubles, is averaging 9.63 assists/set, and has at least one block in 10 of Illinois' 13 matches despite standing at 5-foot-7.

FINE NINE

The Illinois volleyball team added nine newcomers for the 2025 season. Auburn Tomkinson, Taryn Kirsch, Devin Dzienny, Gabriella Pitcel, Kenna Phelan, Sophi Randall, Alyssa Aguayo, Ava Wysocki, and Lara Žigic all joined the roster during the offseason. Tomkinson and Phelan have previous collegiate experience, having played the last two seasons at Texas and Florida State, respectively. Dzienny was an early enrollee at Florida before making her way to Champaign.

OH, CANADA

Redshirt sophomore Taylor de Boer represented her home country of Canada at both the U23 NORCECA Pan American Cup and the Senior Pan American Cup in Mexico over the summer.

De Boer and Canada claimed the silver medal at the U23 NORCECA Pan American Cup. The U23 Canadian team, making its first-ever appearance in the Women's U23 Pan American Cup final, fell to the United States in the final. The team's second-place finish was Canada's best ever in the competition, and it also served as the squad's first-ever medal.

LAND OF LINCOLN

The Illini squad features four players from the state of Illinois. Bianca May (Orland Park), Averie Hernandez (Bloomington), Vivian Campbell (Oswego), and Ava Wysocki (Kildeer) all hail from the Land of Lincoln.

NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES

The Fighting Illini saw changes to head coach Chris Tamas' staff in 2025. Meredith Schamun and Hannah Hashbarger joined the team as the associate head coach and director of operations, respectively.

Schamun joins the Illini following a four-year head coaching stint at Penn, most recently guiding the Quakers to a successful 13-10 campaign with an 7-7 Ivy League record in 2024. The season included the Quakers' first win over rival Princeton since 2015 and their first victory over Brown since 2019. Following the season, a pair of Schamun's players received All-Ivy recognition.

Schamun came to Penn from Villanova, where she helped the Wildcats to a 39-23 record in two seasons as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Schamun assisted Villanova to a pair of Big East Tournament appearances and a combined 23-13 record in league play. In 2019, the Wildcats were 22-9 overall and 13-5 in the Big East. That year, she guided the Wildcat offense to finish second in the league in hitting percentage and trained Villanova's all-time assist leader.

Prior to arriving at Villanova, Schamun spent two seasons at Tulane as an assistant coach, helping the Green Wave to the highest RPI jump in the nation (157 spots) in 2016. Tulane had its first winning season in three years and finished fifth in the American Athletic Conference with Schamun on the sideline. From 2014-15, Schamun was the director of volleyball operations at UCF, helping organize travel, scheduling, and recruiting for the Knights, who won the conference title and reached the NCAA Championship field in 2014.

A highly decorated setter at Rice University, Schamun was a four-year starter for the Owls. The Conference USA Setter of the Year in 2009, Schamun was a Conference USA Championship MVP, two-time All-C-USA First Team, AVCA All-Region, and AVCA All-America honorable mention selection. She helped lead the Owls to a conference championship and two NCAA Championship berths, and finished her career as Rice's all-time leader in assists with 5,190.­

Hashbarger comes to Illinois following two seasons on the Regis volleyball staff, serving as the director of operations and engagement. As the program's director of operations and engagement, Hashbarger combined her expertise in brand marketing, leadership, and program management to support the team's success.

LOOKING BACK AT 2024

The Fighting Illini saw much success during the 2024 season, owning an 18-13 overall record and a 10-10 mark in Big Ten play. The team made its return to the NCAA Tournament, falling to Northern Iowa, 3-1, in the opening round.

A key loss from last year's squad is Raina Terry, who earned AVCA All-American status at the conclusion of the season. The program's all-time leader in kills, points, and aces, Terry earned AVCA Third Team distinction, the first of its kind for the Ohio native. Terry was drafted 11th overall to the Columbus Fury, becoming the first Illini player to be selected in the Pro Volleyball Federation draft.

Not to be outshined, Ashlyn Philpot returns to the Illini following a stellar freshman campaign in 2024. The middle blocker was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team at the conclusion of the regular season. Philpot tallied 10+ kills in four Big Ten matches in her debut season, including 17 kills in a five-set triumph over #20 USC. The following night, she recorded 11 kills while hitting .667 against Ohio State. Such marks accompanied with nine roofs on the weekend helped Philpot earn her first-ever Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor.

AS SEEN ON TV

The Illini will be featured on national television nine times this season. The team's road matches at Purdue, Wisconsin, and Minnesota will air on Big Ten Network. The Illini's home clashes against Iowa State and Penn State will also be shown on BTN. Contests at Nebraska and UCLA will be shown on FS1. The inaugural Broadway Block Party match against Vanderbilt aired on SEC Network, while Illinois battled #3 Louisville on the road on ESPN.

HEAD COACH CHRIS TAMAS AT THE HELM

The eighth head coach in Illinois history, Tamas has made an impressive impact on Illinois volleyball and owns an overall record of 157-99 (.613), including a 92-69 (.574) mark in the nation's toughest volleyball league, the Big Ten Conference, as well as five NCAA Tournament appearances, including three NCAA Regional appearances and a trip to the Final Four in 2018. 

Tamas earned his 100th career win – with all 100 coming at the helm of the Illini program – after leading Illinois to its third trip to the Sweet 16 in five seasons after back-to-back wins to open the 2021 NCAA tournament, including a four-set win over 2020-21 national champion and #7 seed Kentucky in Lexington. His 150th career victory came against Vanderbilt at the Sprouts Farmers Market Broadway Block Party on Aug. 31.

Illinois experienced one of its most successful seasons ever in 2018 under Tamas, who was subsequently named AVCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year. 

The Illini made the program's fourth-ever appearance in the NCAA National Semifinals as the #3 overall seed in the tournament, riding a 17-match win streak into the Final Four and ending the season ranked #3 in the AVCA Coaches Poll. The team registered a 32-4 overall record and finished in second place in the Big Ten Conference with a 17-3 mark, with the 32 victories ranking tied for fourth-most in school history.

Under Tamas' leadership, the Illini collected a number of individual honors, highlighted by AVCA All-America First Team selections in Jordyn Poulter and Jacqueline Quade, the first time in program history Illinois had multiple first-team honorees in a season.