SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Illinois claimed a come-from-behind road win over Notre Dame in a five-set thriller at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana, on Friday night.
Facing a 2-1 deficit in the contest, the Fighting Illini secured the final two sets to improve to 2-1 and have now won each of their last two matches.
Ashlyn Philpot led the way with a team-high 17 kills, equaling her career-best output. Posting a .556 hitting percentage, the sophomore middle blocker also registered seven total blocks, including two solo stuffs.
Auburn Tomkinson set a new career-high kill total of her own, closing the night with 14 kills, in addition to two blocks and a dig.
Taylor de Boer and Alyssa Aguayo each posted their third consecutive performances with double-digit kills, with the pair each tallying 10 kills in the five-set triumph. De Boer tacked on three digs and two blocks, while Aguayo recorded five digs, three blocks, and two assists.
Kenna Phelan posted her first double-double of the season with 45 assists and 11 digs, while Taryn Kirsch totaled a team-most and career-high 17 digs in addition to four assists.
As a team, the Illini equaled their season-high with seven aces while hitting a combined .270.Â
After a back-and-forth start to the first set, the Fighting Irish put together a 6-0 run, forcing the Illini to take their first timeout with the hosts in front, 13-7. That lead grew as large as eight, though the Orange and Blue used a 5-1 run to cut their deficit in half. Despite Illinois posting a late 4-1 scoring stretch, it was not enough as the Fighting Irish claimed the opening frame, 25-22.
Notre Dame notched the first three points of the second set, but Illinois fought back to even the frame at 6-6. Trailing by one shortly after, the Illini used a 5-0 run that was fueled by three kills from Philpot to take a four-point lead. The visitors added to that advantage via a 6-2 scoring stretch, extending the edge up to seven. The Fighting Irish reduced their deficit to two late, but the Illini fended off the rally to win the frame, 25-22, and tie the match at one set apiece.
The home side jumped out to a quick 8-3 advantage in the third set, though the Illini accounted for the next three points to cut into their deficit. After the teams traded 3-0 runs, Notre Dame's 4-0 scoring stretch lengthened the hosts' lead to six. With the Fighting Irish in front by seven, the Orange and Blue began a 6-0 run to reduce the Notre Dame edge to 22-21. The Illini were able to fend off one set point, but the Fighting Irish closed out the frame, 25-23, and took a 2-1 lead in the match.
Opening the fourth frame with a 6-2 run, Illinois forced an early timeout before tallying another 5-1 stretch to expand the advantage up to 13-5. After the Fighting Irish cut their deficit in half, the Illini re-established a six-point edge following back-to-back Notre Dame errors. With the score down to 21-17, the Illini ended the frame with a 4-1 run to force a decisive fifth set via a 25-18 decision in the fourth.
Illinois carried its momentum into the start of the fifth set, going in front by a 5-1 margin. Notre Dame posted the next two points, but the Illini responded with three of the next four points to go back up by four, 8-4. The Fighting Irish continued to battle, cutting their deficit down to one, but a 4-1 Illini run moved the visitors' advantage back up to four. Illinois fought off the Fighting Irish late, prevailing in the fifth set, 15-11, for their first five-set victory of the season. Â
NOTES
- Ashlyn Philpot finished the night with a team-high 17 kills on a .556 clip.
- Philpot's 17 kills matched a career-high, which she also recorded against USC on Nov. 8, 2024.
- Auburn Tomkinson posted her second double-digit kills effort with her career-high 14 kills.
- Has 10+ kills in two of her three career collegiate appearances.
- Alyssa Aguayo amassed 10 kills, along with five digs, three blocks, and two assists.
- Now has double-digit kills in each of her first three matches to begin her collegiate career.
- Taylor de Boer totaled 10 kills, three digs, and two blocks.
- Has 10+ kills in each of her first three matches.
- Kenna Phelan accumulated 45 assists and 11 digs.
- Her 45-assist, 11-dig effort was the seventh double-double of her career and her first this season.
- Now has two career 40-assist outings (both this season; most recently with 48 assists against South Dakota State on Aug. 29 in her Illini debut)
- Taryn Kirsch logged a team-high and career-most 17 digs in the win.
- Has 10+ digs in two of the first three matches of her collegiate career.
- Has at least nine digs in all three matches thus far this season.
- Illinois' seven aces equaled the team's season-best output.
- The Illini had four players finish with double-digit kills for the first time this season.
- Head coach Chris Tamas moved to 151-95 overall during his time at the helm of the Illini.
- The Illini moved to 6-2 all-time against Notre Dame.
- UI is 2-1 all-time in true road matches against the Fighting Irish.
- Illinois snapped a two-match skid against Notre Dame, registering its first win over the Fighting Irish since Oct. 22, 1991.
- Illinois is now 1-0 in five-set matches this season.
- The Illini improved to 1-0 when wearing orange long-sleeved jerseys.
- Illinois is now 1-0 in true road matches this season.
UP NEXT
The Illini will remain on the road for a nationally televised match on Sunday afternoon. Illinois will face off with No. 3 Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center at 2 p.m. CT, with the contest slated to air on ESPN.
