Illinois Begins Big Ten Slate at Home Versus Oregon, at #10 Purdue

MATCHES 10+11

Illinois opens its 2025 Big Ten slate with two matches this weekend, starting on Friday at Huff Hall against [RV] Oregon before hitting the road to face #10 Purdue on Sunday afternoon.

The Illini will host the Ducks as part of Homecoming weekend on Friday at 8 p.m. CT on B1G+, while Sunday's nationally televised contest against the Boilermakers in Mackey Arena is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.

LAST TIME OUT

Illinois closed its nonconference schedule with an in-state sweep over Eastern Illinois on Sunday afternoon at Huff Hall.

The win saw the Illini improve to 5-4 heading into Big Ten play next week.

Alyssa Aguayo registered her fifth double-double of the season with a team-high 13 kills and 10 digs. Reaching the 10+-kill mark for the seventh time this season, she added two blocks while posting a .353 hitting percentage.

Ashlyn Philpot filled the stat sheet once again, recording nine kills and four blocks, including a solo stuff. She also tacked on three digs.

Kenna Phelan secured her third double-double of the campaign with 38 assists and a team-most 13 digs, in addition to her three kills.

Auburn Tomkinson finished the afternoon with eight kills, six digs, and three blocks, while Averie Hernandez amassed six kills, 10 digs, a season-best three aces, and two blocks. Kayla Burbage tallied three kills and four blocks. 

OPPONENT SCOUT

Oregon arrives in Champaign with a 9-1 record and boasts a four-match winning streak ahead of the opening weekend of conference play, most recently defeating Portland State in five sets. The Ducks are a perfect 4-0 in road matches this season, including victories over Montana State, Long Beach State, Oregon State, and Portland State away from home. Their lone blemish came in a five-set loss to San Diego State.

The Ducks feature an almost completely different team from one season ago. Of the 16 student-athletes on their roster, 15 are newcomers, with UO having replaced 100% of its kills and blocks production, and all but one assist from 2024.

Junior opposite/outside hitter Valentina Vaulet leads the Big Ten in aces (22), while Iva Šucurovic leads Big Ten in blocks (58) while ranking second in the conference and 26th nationally in blocks per set (1.45). Vaulet also averages a team-most 3.25 kills/set, with freshman opposite Alanah Clemente coming in closely behind at 3.13.

Oregon is led by first-year head coach Trent Kersten, who took over the helm of the program in February. Kersten, who earned his 100th career win on Sept. 18 and was named the 2024 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year, is in his sixth season as a Division I head coach, which includes stops at San Jose State (2020-23) and Loyola Marymount (2023-25) before joining the Ducks in the winter.

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Riding a seven-match winning streak into Big Ten action, Purdue is 9-1 on the season and has not lost since Sept. 3. The Boilermakers possess two ranked wins on its impressive 2025 resume thus far with victories over #15 Kansas and #10 SMU. Purdue's one loss was a five-set defeat against #23 Georgia Tech.

The Boilermakers have been one of the most consistent programs in the country under head coach Dave Shondell, securing a spot in the national rankings for 131 straight weeks. Purdue brought back nine players from one season ago, including All-Big Ten setter Taylor Anderson, who leads the conference in assists and ranks ninth nationally in assists per set. Outside hitter Kenna Wollard leads the Big Ten in kills and sits third in the conference and 22nd nationally in kills per set.

Shondell, a two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, enters his 23rd season with the Boilermakers.

SERIES HISTORY

Illinois holds a 2-3 all-time record against Oregon heading into the second-ever Big Ten meeting between the sides. The Ducks won the most recent contest last season with a 3-0 victory in 2024, while the Illini are looking for their first win in the series since 2008. The Orange and Blue are 2-0 when hosting Oregon in Champaign, which includes triumphs in 1987 and 2008.

The longstanding series between Illinois and Purdue dates back to 1974, with Sunday's match set to be the 98th in series history. The Illini are 51-46 all-time against the Boilermakers and sit at 20-25 when playing them away from home. Purdue won last year's meeting in straight sets, while Illinois last defeated the Boilermakers at Huff Hall during the 2023 season. The Orange and Blue seek their first win in West Lafayette since 2021, when the Illini upset the then-#4 ranked Boilermakers.

ILLINOIS VS. TOP 10 OPPONENTS

Illinois is 43-173 all-time when playing top-10 teams, with the most recent victory coming on Dec. 4, 2021, at #7 Kentucky in the form of a 3-1 win in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Sunday's matchup marks the Illini's second ranked contest of the season after falling in four sets at #3 Louisville on Sept. 7.

The Orange and Blue last defeated a ranked Boilermaker squad during the 2023 season, when Illinois defeated #16 Purdue in four sets at Huff Hall on Oct. 28, 2023.

IMMEDIATE IMPACTS

During nonconference play, freshman Alyssa Aguayo averaged 2.79 kills, 3.29 points, 2.53 digs, and 0.47 blocks per set across her 34 sets of action while starting all nine matches. Also totaling five 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 nine matches, marking the team's first freshman starter at the position since Lily Barry in 2023. Kirsch leads the Illini in digs, averaging 2.85 digs/set.

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 four matches while starting in all but one contest 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 three double-doubles, is averaging 9.59 assists/set, and has at least one block in seven of Illinois' nine 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.

SOUND THE ALARM

Kayla Burbage announced in January that she would be returning for the 2025 season. The Swiss-Army knife of the Illini squad, Burbage played two seasons with the Illini before missing the 2024 campaign due to injury. A transfer from Missouri, Burbage saw time as an opposite in all 30 matches for Illinois in 2022, averaging 2.28 kills and 0.60 blocks per set. The following year, Burbage posted 2.10 kills and 0.47 blocks per set while playing on both pins. 

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 154-98 (.611), including a 90-68 (.560) 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.