NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois closed the Linda Herman Classic with its second sweep of the weekend, taking down host Illinois State in straight sets at the CEFCU Arena in Normal, Ill., on Sunday afternoon.
The Fighting Illini improved to 4-3 ahead of their first two home matches next weekend to finish nonconference action.
Taylor de Boer totaled a team-high 10 kills, her sixth effort in double figures this season. Alongside a .348 hitting percentage, the redshirt sophomore also registered two digs and a block.
Alyssa Aguayo and Kenna Phelan both finished just shy of recording double-doubles. Aguayo ended the afternoon with nine kills, 10 digs, a career-high four blocks, and two aces, while Phelan posted 28 assists, nine digs, a block, an ace, and a kill.
Ashlyn Philpot collected four kills and six blocks, and Kayla Burbage bagged four kills, four blocks, and an ace. Auburn Tomkinson added five kills, three blocks, and an ace.
The Redbirds accounted for the first two points of the afternoon, but the Illini responded by rattling off a 9-1 run to go in front for the first time. Illinois State used three straight points to cut into its deficit, but the Orange and Blue orchestrated a 6-0 scoring stretch to open up a nine-point edge, 16-9. A 4-1 Illini run lengthened that lead to double digits, though the home side cut that advantage down to six with a late 5-0 run. Logging three of the final four points of the frame, Illinois secured the opener, 25-17.
The visitors carried their momentum into the second set, going ahead by a 4-1 margin. The Redbirds briefly took a one-point lead, but a 4-0 Illini run re-established the away side's advantage. With the frame tied at 10, Illinois tallied an 8-2 stretch to go up by six. The Orange and Blue then closed the set with a 4-1 run to double their lead in the match via a 25-18 mark.
The Illini began the third frame by scoring the first four points, and that edge expanded to five soon after. The Redbirds began to mount a comeback after taking a timeout, soon tying the set at 16 apiece. A 3-0 Illinois run saw the visitors go back ahead by three, though ISU eventually evened the frame at 23. After the Redbirds fended off a set point, the Illini scored the final two points of the day to finish off the sweep, 26-24.
NOTES
- Alyssa Aguayo ended the afternoon with nine kills, 10 digs, a career-high four blocks, and two aces.
- Saw her double-digit kills streak come to an end at six matches to start her collegiate career.
- Became the first 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.
- Finished with double-digit digs for the fifth time this season.
- Has 10+ digs in three of the last four matches.
- Registered a career-high four blocks in the win.
- Has multiple blocks in back-to-back matches and for the third time overall this season.
- Taylor de Boer totaled a team-high 10 kills at a .348 clip, along with two digs and a block.
- Has double-digit kills in six of the Illini's seven matches this season.
- Amassed multiple digs for the third time this season.
- Tallied her fourth match with a block this season.
- Auburn Tomkinson added five kills, three blocks, and an ace.
- Registered her fifth match this season with an ace; has seven aces this season.
- Tallied at least three blocks for the third time this season.
- Has multiple blocks in all seven matches.
- Ashlyn Philpot collected four kills, six blocks, and a dig.
- Secured her fourth match with at least five stuffs.
- Finished with at least six blocks for the third time.
- Has a block in all seven matches this season.
- Illinois hit .239 as a team while holding Illinois State to just .104.
- The Redbirds' .104 hitting percentage was the lowest by an Illinois opponent this season.
- The Illini finished with 10 blocks, their third match this season with double-digit stuffs.
- Head coach Chris Tamas moved to 153-97 overall during his time at the helm of the Illini.
- The Illini moved to 31-31 all-time against Illinois State.
- Illinois is 11-14 when playing the Redbirds in true road matches.
- Illinois is now 2-0 in three-set matches this season.
- The Illini moved to 2-2 when wearing blue long-sleeved jerseys.
- Illinois is now 2-1 in true road matches this season.
UP NEXT
Illinois returns home to Huff Hall for the first time this season next week, hosting Iowa State on Saturday and Eastern Illinois on Sunday to conclude its nonconference slate.
