NORMAL, Ill. – The Illini opened the Linda Herman Classic with a sweep of Cincinnati on Friday afternoon at CEFCU Arena in Normal, Ill. With the win, Illinois improved to 3-2 following its first of three matches this weekend.
Taylor de Boer led the Orange and Blue offense once again, finishing one kill shy of her career-best output with 17 on an efficient .382 clip. The Canada native extended her double-digit kill streak up to five matches, reaching that threshold midway through the second set.
Alyssa Aguayo accumulated the fourth double-double of her freshman campaign with 11 kills and 10 digs, her fifth straight outing with 10+ kills. She also tallied an ace and an assist, while she is the first freshman since 2016 (Jacqueline Quade) to have at least 10 kills across her first five outings.
Ashlyn Philpot used a .600 hitting percentage to total seven kills, her third effort in a row with at least seven kills. She also had a block and a dig.
Five Illini registered at least four digs: Aguayo (10), Taryn Kirsch (7), Kenna Phelan (7), Lara Žigic (5), and Averie Hernandez (4). Phelan accounted for two of the team's seven aces, while six different players registered at least one as the Illini hit a season-high .336.
After the Orange and Blue jumped out to an early 6-3 lead in the opening set, the Bearcats used an 8-0 run to go in front by five and force an Illini timeout. Cincinnati maintained its advantage before Illinois pieced together a 6-0 scoring stretch of its own, which turned a two-point deficit into a late four-point edge. Closing out the frame, the Illini took the opener, 25-21, marking the first time this season that the Orange and Blue won the first set.
The sides battled point-for-point in the second set, eventually sitting at 15-15, but the Illini began to pull away via a 6-3 scoring run. Illinois moved up to set point, though back-to-back Bearcat kills forced the Orange and Blue to take a late timeout with the scoreline down to 24-23. A kill from de Boer, who reached double digits earlier in the frame, thwarted the comeback attempt and gave the Illini a two-set lead, 25-23.
A 3-0 Cincinnati stretch gave the Bearcats an early 7-5 edge, but three straight points from the Illini pushed the Orange and Blue ahead. Another 3-0 run saw UC re-establish a two-point advantage before a 6-0 scoring span from the Illini led to a Bearcat timeout with Illinois ahead, 14-10. Maintaining a four-point edge for a majority of the frame, Cincinnati trimmed its deficit as low as one, but the Orange and Blue secured the final two points of the set en route to the 25-22 decision and the sweep.
NOTES
- Taylor de Boer led the team with 17 kills on a .394 hitting percentage.
- Has 10+ kills in each of her first five matches of the season.
- Led the Illini in kills for the fourth time this season.
- Her .382 hitting percentage set a new season-best.
- Alyssa Aguayo logged 11 kills and a team-high 10 digs, in addition to an ace and an assist.
- Now has double-digit kills in each of the first five matches of her collegiate career.
- Is the first true freshman with 10+ kills in their first five collegiate matches in 2016, when Jacqueline Quade had 10+ kills in her first six matches.
- Had an ace in back-to-back matches for the first time this season.
- Has at least one assist in all five matches this season.
- Ashlyn Philpot collected seven kills along with one block.
- Has at least seven kills in four of the first five matches of the season.
- Has 7+ kills in three consecutive outings.
- Has a block in all five matches this season.
- Auburn Tomkinson amassed five kills and two blocks.
- Has multiple blocks in all five matches this season.
- Kenna Phelan finished the afternoon with 34 assists, seven digs, two aces, and a block.
- Had multiple aces for the fourth time this season.
- Has 7+ digs in all five matches this season.
- Registered a block in her fourth match this season.
- Illinois hit a season-high .340 as a team.
- Head coach Chris Tamas moved to 152-96 overall during his time at the helm of the Illini.
- The Illini moved to 11-3 all-time against Cincinnati.
- UI is now 6-3 all-time in neutral-site matches against the Bearcats.
- Illinois has now won six consecutive matches against Cincinnati.
- Illinois is now 1-0 in three-set matches this season.
- The Illini moved to 1-0 when wearing blue sleeveless jerseys.
- Illinois is now 2-1 in neutral-site matches this season.
- The Illini have played four power-conference opponents across their first five matches, moving to 3-1Â against such teams this season.
UP NEXT
Illinois continues its time at the Linda Herman Volleyball Classic with a matchup against Miami (Fla.) on Saturday afternoon. First serve from CEFCU Arena in Normal, Ill., is slated for 12 p.m. CT and will be available for streaming on ESPN+.
