2023 Volleyball Roster
Jersey Number 1
Kennedy Collins
- Position:
- Middle Blocker
- Height:
- 6-3
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- Hometown:
- Zion, Ill.
- High School:
- Zion-Benton HS
 University of Illinois Graduate |
GRADUATE STUDENT- 2023
- Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Started all 30 matches
- Second on the team with 224 kills, 121.0 blocks and 1.05 blocks per set
- Closed out career eight in total blocks (475) and blocks per set (425)
- Logged eight kills and six blocks at Northern Illinois (8/26/23)
- Posted five blocks and four kills against Valparaiso (8/29/23)
- Recorded a .529 hitting clip with nine kills while amassing five blocks against Wichita State (9/1/23)
- Posted 11 kills on .269 hitting with six blocks and a pair of aces against Illinois State (9/3/23)
- Hit .765 with 13 kills and six blocks at UIC (9/5/23)
- Paced the team with 12 digs while logging seven kills and an ace at Notre Dame (9/7/23)
- Recorded three kills, three blocks and a pair of aces against Oklahoma (9/8/23)
- Posted 10 kills and a .421 hitting percentage while adding five dig and five blocks at Bradley (9/12/23)
- Amassed six kills, six digs and three blocks against USC (9/14/23)
- Posted her 400th career block against USC (9/15/23)
- Logged four blocks and eight kills against UCF (9/15/23)
- Recorded 11 kills and a pair of blocks at Indiana (9/20/23)
- Hit .680 with a career-best 19 kills on 25 attempts while also recording a pair of solo blocks and seven block assists for nine total blocks against Michigan State (9/24/23)
- Led the team with eight kills while adding four blocks and a dig against #15 Penn State (9/29/23)
- Paced the squad with six blocks while adding 11 kills and a .636 hitting clip against Iowa (9/30/23)
- Posted four kills and four blocks at #19 Purdue (10/4/23)
- Tallied four kills and a dig against #1 Wisconsin (10/7/23)
- Recorded four blocks, three kills and an ace at Ohio State (10/13/23)
- Amassed seven kills and four blocks against Rutgers (10/15/23)
- Logged nine kills, nine blocks and three aces at Maryland (10/20/23)
- Posted eight kills, five blocks, four digs and an ace at Rutgers (10/22/23)
- Served a career-high five aces while adding 12 kills, four blocks and three digs against Indiana (10/25/23)
- Tallied nine blocks and nine kills against #16 Purdue (10/28/23)
- Registered seven kills and a block against Northwestern (11/1/23)
- Logged a pair of kills at #2 Wisconsin (11/4/23)
- Posted 10 kills on hitting .562 while adding three aces and three blocks at Iowa (11/10/23)
- Recorded three kills and a pair of blocks at #1 Nebraska (11/12/23)
- Hit .529 with nine kills on 17 attempts and added three blocks and an ace against Ohio State (11/15/23)
- Tallied three kills and three blocks against Michigan (11/18/23)
Senior - 2022
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Played in 26 matches, starting in all 26
- Amassed double-digit kills on two separate occasions
- Tallied a season-high 15 kills at Marquette (9/17/22)
- Tallied 10 kills against Purdue (9/30/22)
- Hit .700 with eight kills, one error on 10 total attempts against Wisconsin (11/3/22)
- Posted a season-high three service aces against Illinois State (9/17/22)
- Logged four digs against Maryland (10/7/22)
- Recorded one assist against Illinois State (9/17/22), Georgia Tech (8/27/22), and Iowa (11/20/22)
- Notched six total blocks on four separate occasions against Iowa (Nov. 20), at Wisconsin (10/2/22), at Dayton (9/10/22), and against Penn State (10/26/22)
- Recorded a solo block during seven different matches
- Logged six block assists against Iowa (11/20/22) and against Penn State (10/26/22)
Junior - 2021
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Redbird Classic All-Tournament Team
- Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge All-Tournament Team
- Panther Invite MVP and All-Tournament Team
- Started all 31 matches she saw action in and played in 118 sets.
- Led the Illini with 126 blocks and a .334 hitting percentage, while also ranking fourth with 285 kills and adding 62 digs and 13 service aces.
- Totaled 21 kills on a .366 hitting percentage and seven blocks in the NCAA First & Second Rounds matches vs. West Virginia (12/3/21) and at No. 7 Kentucky (12/4/21).
- Led the Illini with five blocks at Michigan State (11/26/21).
- Posted eight kills on a .583 hitting percentage and a match-high four blocks vs. Maryland (11/21/21).
- Earned her first-career double-double with 13 kills on a .440 hitting percentage to go along with a career-high 10 digs, a season-high eight blocks – including to solo stuffs – and three service aces at Rutgers (10/29/21).
- Turned in eight kills on a .421 attack clip, while leading the block attack with six stuffs as well as serving up a career-high four aces vs. Michigan (10/23/21).
- Paced Illini with seven blocks - including a career-high two solo stuffs - to go along with her first career ace in a win at Northwestern (10/20/21).
- Led Illini with seven blocks in a sweep of Iowa (10/13/21).
- Stuffed six blocks at No. 4 Wisconsin (10/9/21).
- Posted 16 kills on a .636 hitting percentage and four blocks vs. Northwestern (9/25/21).
- Totaled a team-high 32 kills for a 3.56 kills per set mark on a .473 hitting percentage after registering just six errors in 55 swings, while also pacing the team with 15 blocks at the Redbird Classic.
- Turned in match-high of 13 kills – with just one error on 22 swings – on a season-best .545 hitting percentage and four blocks vs. Missouri (9/17).
- Notched 10 kills on a .643 attack clip and a season-high eight blocks at Illinois State (9/17).
- Registered 20 kills and a team-high 10 blocks at the Bluejay Invitational, including a nine-kill, four-block outing at No. 19 Creighton (9/11).
- Totaled 25 kills, eight blocks and five digs in the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge, including posting 12 kills and five blocks against Colorado (9/4/21).
- Collins registered 32 kills for a 2.91 kills per set on a .500 hitting percentage, while adding nine total blocks at the Panther Invite.
- Posted a match-and career-high 17 kills on a .520 hitting percentage in a five-set win over UCSB (8/27/21).
Sophomore - 2020-21
- Academic All-Big Ten
- Oskees Humanitarian Award (Social Justice)
- Started all 18 matches and played in all 71 sets in the conference-only 2020-21 shortened season
- Ranked third on the team with 128 kills on a .265 hitting percentage, while ranking second on the team with 57 total blocks, while adding 18 digs and three assists
- Posted a team-high 12 kills on a .527 hitting percentage to go along with a season-high five blocks in a win over Indiana (3/27).
- Totaled 11 kills to go along with a match-high five blocks in a five-set win over Maryland (3/20/21).
- Turned in a career-high 14 kills on a .444 hitting percentage to go along with five blocks at No. 5 Minnesota (3/12/21).
- Totaled 10 kills and four digs vs. Ohio State (2/20/21).
- Posted nine kills on a .417 attack clip at Penn State (2/6/21).
- Registered a .714 hitting percentage with six kills and one error on seven swings to go along with four blocks at Penn State (2/5/21)
- Posted eight kills on a .583 hitting percentage against No. 1 Wisconsin (1/30/21).
Freshman - 2019
- Started 22 of the 26 matches she saw action in.
- Ranked fourth on the team with 129 kills on a .235 attack clip and was second on the roster with 80 total blocks, while also adding 17 digs.
- Posted eight kills on a .571 hitting percentage and three blocks in a win over Northwestern (11/27).
- Tallied seven kills on a .312 hitting percentage and two blocks in a win over Rutgers (11/16).
- Registered 11 total blocks for a 1.22 blocks per set in two matches at No. 6 Wisconsin (10/19) and No. 7 Minnesota (10/20).
- Led the Illini with six blocks against No. 6 Minnesota (10/9).
- Posted a career-high seven blocks to go along with five kills in a win at No. 17 Purdue (10/6).
- Totaled six kills on a .400 hitting percentage and a team-high five blocks against No. 16 Washington (9/6/19).
- Made her Illini debut in the season opener and started both matches against No. 19 Tennessee, posting nine kills and five blocks in the home-opening win against the Vols (9/1).
High School
- Three-time North Suburban Conference honoree
- Earned Lake County News-Sun All-Area honors as a junior after leading her Zion-Benton High School with 203 kills and 62 blocks
- Totaled 144 kills and 35 blocks as a sophomore at ZBHS
- Four-Time Zion-Benton High School Team MVP
- Four-year honor roll student
- Plays for Sky High Volleyball Club, where she helped lead her team to qualify for Nationals
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