WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Illinois secured its first ranked victory of the season with a four-set road triumph at #10 Purdue on Sunday afternoon. Now on a three-match winning streak, the Fighting Illini improved to 2-0 in Big Ten contests and 7-4 overall after defeating the Boilermakers away from home.
In front of a hostile crowd at Mackey Arena, the Orange and Blue's win marked their first victory over a top-10 opponent since 2021, while the Illini are 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2022.
Ashlyn Philpot collected 12 kills, her second showing in double figures this season, 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.Â
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.
With the opening set tied at 6-6, the Illini used a 7-3 run to establish a four-point edge and eventually hold a 15-11 advantage at the media timeout. The Boilermakers posted a 5-1 scoring stretch after the brief intermission to even the frame at 16, though the Orange and Blue accounted for five of the next seven points to grab a 21-18 edge. Closing the frame on a 3-1 run, Illinois took the opening set, 25-21.
Purdue jumped in front early in the second, using an 8-0 run to go ahead, 11-4. With the hosts still in front by seven, the Boilermakers went on a 4-0 stretch to move their lead into double digits. The home side would eventually close out the frame, 25-12, to even the match at one set apiece.
The Illini stormed out to a 4-1 advantage and soon extended it to 8-3 in the third set. After Purdue tallied the next two points, Illinois began a 5-0 run to lengthen its lead to eight, 13-5. With the Orange and Blue holding a 20-14 edge, the Boilermakers halved their deficit with a 3-0 run, but the Illini answered with a 3-0 stretch of their own shortly after to put the visitors within a point of winning the set. Despite a late 5-0 run from the home side, fighting off five set points, de Boer's kill sealed the frame for Illinois, 25-23.
Purdue scored the first four points of the fourth set, but a 3-0 Illini run quickly reduced that lead to a single point. Neither side was able to pull away, though the Boilermakers took a 15-12 edge into the media timeout. Eventually expanding that edge to five, the hosts forced the Illini into a timeout with the Orange and Blue behind, 22-17.Â
Illinois came roaring back after the break, going on a 7-1 run to take a late 24-23 advantage, turning a five-point deficit into a one-point lead. After Purdue fought off a match point, a Boilermaker service error and a Philpot kill clinched the upset victory for the Fighting Illini.
NOTES
- Taylor de Boer finished with 17 kills and also logged a block and a dig.
- Had double-digit kills for the ninth time this season.
- Led the team in kills for the seventh time.
- Has a block in five of the last six matches and in seven matches overall.
- Had 40+ attacks for the third time this season/in her collegiate career.
- Ashlyn Philpot collected 12 kills, hitting at a .429 clip, and notched four blocks.
- Has 10+ kills in two matches this season.
- Accounted for the Illini's final three kills of the day.Â
- Has 10+ kills in seven matches during her collegiate career.
- Finished with at least four blocks for the sixth time this season.
- Has 4+ blocks in two of the last three matches.
- Alyssa Aguayo amassed 11 kills, five digs, four assists, and a block.
- Has 10+ kills in nine of her 11 career collegiate matches.
- Has double-digit kills in three straight matches.
- Has 10+ kills in each of her first two career Big Ten appearances.Â
- Has 5+ digs in 10 of her first 11 collegiate appearances.Â
- Has at least five digs in five straight matches.
- Equaled her career-high with four assists.
- Has four assists in two matches in her college career.
- Has a block in nine of her 11 collegiate appearances.
- Auburn Tomkinson tallied 11 kills and added five blocks and a dig.
- Finished with at least 10 kills for the fifth time this season.
- Has at least five kills in all 11 matches and at least eight in eight outings.
- Set a new career-high with five total blocks.
- Made multiple blocks for the 10th time this season.
- Her 13.5 points are the second-most in her career/this season.
- Kayla Burbage bagged three blocks, two digs, a kill, and an assist.Â
- Has at least three blocks in each of the last six matches.
- Has at least three blocks in nine outings this season.
- Has multiple blocks in eight straight matches and in 10 appearances overall.
- Tallied her fourth assist of the season.
- Made multiple digs for the seventh time this season.
- Kenna Phelan posted a double-double with 39 assists and 10 digs, while also tacking on two kills and an ace.
- Now has four double-doubles this season and the 10th such performance of her career.
- Has a double-double in two of the last three matches.
- Had double-digit digs for the fourth time.
- Has at least one ace in eight matches and four of the last five.
- Taryn Kirsch totaled a career-high 21 digs alongside her five assists.
- Set a new career-high with 21 digs.
- Is the lone active Illini with at least 20 digs in a match in their career.
- Posted the most digs since Christina Martinez Mundo had 23 against Northern Iowa in the NCAA tournament on Dec. 6, 2024.
- Illinois' three-match winning streak is its longest this season and its longest streak since winning five straight matches from Oct. 6-20, 2024.
- The Illini earned their first victory over a top-10 opponent since 2021, when Illinois defeated #7 Kentucky in four sets in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
- Also marked the team's last top-10 road win prior to Sunday.
- Illinois picked up its highest-ranked Big Ten win since defeating #4 Purdue on the road on Oct. 1, 2021.
- The Illini handed Purdue its first home loss to an unranked team since losing to Northwestern in five sets on Oct. 1, 2023.
- Illinois snapped Purdue's seven-match winning streak.
- The Illini are 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2022.
- Head coach Chris Tamas moved to 156-98 overall during his time at the helm of the Illini.
- The Illini moved to 52-46 all-time against Purdue.
- Illinois is now 2-4 in four-set matches this season.
- The Illini are 1-1 against ranked opponents this season.
- Illinois is now 3-1 in true road matches this season.
- The Illini moved to 2-0 when wearing navy sleeveless jerseys.
UP NEXT
Illinois remains on the road for another top-10 road matchup on Thursday night at #7 Wisconsin. The Illini will battle the Badgers in Madison, Wisconsin, at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
