University of Illinois
9-3,1-0Big Ten
Minnesota
6-3,0-1Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 22 | 25 | 18 | 22 | 1 |
| Illinois | 25 | 14 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Fighting Illini Open Big Ten Play With Four-Set Upset Win Over #15 Minnesota
September 24, 2026 | Volleyball
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois made a statement to start Big Ten play, taking down No. 15 Minnesota, 3-1, at Huff Hall on Thursday night.
The Fighting Illini extended their winning streak to five while securing their first ranked victory of the season.
Paityn Chapman led the Illini offense with a team-most 15 kills to go alongside nine digs, three blocks, and an ace. Taylor de Boer totaled 11 kills and a block, while Kristina Starostenko collected eight kills and four blocks.
Kenna Phelan secured her fourth double-double of the season with 37 assists, 10 digs, and two kills. Talita Goncalves finished with a team-best 19 digs, while Alyssa Aguayo amassed 11 digs, three kills, and a block.
Ashlyn Philpot logged seven kills and three total blocks, including a solo stuff. Maya Harris added four digs, two kills, and two aces.
The Fighting Illini jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead in the opening frame, forcing the away side to take an early timeout. The Golden Gophers brought it back and knotted the set at 13 apiece. The Orange and Blue took their biggest lead of the set after a 5-1 run made the score 18-14. Minnesota came back again, this time knotting it at 20-20, before a pair of kills and another 5-2 Illini run gave the hosts the first set by a score of 25-22.
After the Illini dropped the second set, the Orange and Blue bounced back to take the third frame. After Minnesota opened up the third set with a 6-3 lead, the Orange and Blue used six kills en route to taking a 12-9 lead in the set. The Illini led the rest of the way in the set. Maintaining its advantage, Illinois held a 21-18 edge when a 4-0 run that included two kills and an ace brought home the third.
The fourth set went back and forth throughout. The two sides were tied at 7-7, though the Illini had two separate 3-0 runs before the Gophers knotted it up at 14-all. From there, a 6-2 run gave the Illini the lead once again, before a 5-0 Minnesota run gave the Gophers the lead at 22-21. The Orange and Blue dug deep and closed the frame on a 4-0 run, giving the Illini their first ranked win of the year.
Illinois (9-3, 1-0 B1G) wraps up its homestand with another ranked matchup on Saturday night, with the Fighting Illini set to host the No. 23 USC Trojans at Huff Hall at 7 p.m. CT on B1G+.
NOTES
- Paityn Chapman led the attack with 15 kills while adding nine digs, three blocks, and an ace.
- Had a career-high 48 attacks.
- Now has double-digit kills in 10 outings this season.
- Has double-digit kills in eight of the last nine matches.
- Has had multiple blocks in three straight matches.
- Alyssa Aguayo posted 11 digs, three kills, a block, and an ace
- Set a new season-high with 11 digs.
- Has double-digit digs in two matches this year.
- Set a new season-high with 11 digs.
- Taylor de Boer delivered with 11 kills and one block.
- Marked her eighth match with 10+ kills this season.
- Has reached double-digit kills in five straight outings.
- Marked her eighth match with 10+ kills this season.
- Talita Goncalves totaled 19 digs along with three assists and an ace.
- Now has double-digit digs in 10 consecutive matches.
- Recorded an ace for the third time this season.
- Kenna Phelan filled the stat sheet with 37 assists, 10 digs, two kills, and a block.
- Recorded her fourth double-double of the year.
- Has 10+ digs in four appearances this season.
- Had multiple kills for the fifth time this season.
- Recorded her fourth double-double of the year.
- Maya Harris amassed two kills, four digs, and two aces.
- Tied her career-best with two kills.
- Has posted multiple aces in seven outings this season.
- Has two aces in four consecutive matches.
- Kristina Starostenko led the team with four blocks while adding eight kills.
- Has at least four blocks in four games this year.
- The Illini held the Golden Gophers to a .215 hitting percentage.
- Illinois held Minnesota to a season-worst .215 mark.
- Illinois recorded 54 digs in the contest.
- The Illini had 50+ digs for the fifth time this season.
- Illinois has at least 50 digs in three straight matches.
- The Illini posted their first ranked win of the season.
- Illinois recorded its first ranked victory since defeating #10 Purdue on the road, 3-1, on Sept. 28, 2025.
- The Illini secured their first win over a ranked opponent at Huff Hall since defeating #20 USC, 3-2, on Nov. 8, 2024.
- The Illini are now 2-0 in four-set contests this season.
- Illinois is now 4-1 at Huff Hall this season.
- The Illini are now 40-47-1 in the all-time series against Minnesota.
- Illinois secured its first win over Minnesota since 2017, snapping an 11-match losing streak against the Golden Gophers.
- The Illini are now 3-0 when wearing orange sleeveless jerseys.
