Fighting Illini Women’s Volleyball Stuns No. 11 Penn State

Fighting Illini Stun No. 11 Penn State

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In front of a rowdy crowd at Huff Hall, the Illinois volleyball team upset No. 11 Penn State in a four-set battle on Wednesday night.

The Fighting Illini’s victory over the Nittany Lions was the team’s first triumph over a nationally ranked opponent this season. The win also marked head coach Chris Tamas‘ 24th over ranked competition while with the Orange and Blue.

Illinois improved to 10-11 overall and 5-6 in Big Ten play. Penn State dropped to 17-5 this season and 6-5 against league opponents.

The Fighting Illini began a back-and-forth battle from the first serve. A 5-0 scoring run that included four-straight Raina Terry kills, led to a Penn State timeout with the Orange and Blue holding the 12-8 edge. The Illini continued to dominate following the break with a Kennedy Collins and Kayla Burbage block causing Penn State to burn its final timeout of the set with Illinois leading 20-14. Holding the 22-14 advantage, Penn State added a rally of its own, scoring five-straight points before a service error snapped the opposition’s efforts. Illinois closed out the set with back-to-back points, sealing the 25-19 victory in the opening stanza.

Raina Terry led the team offensively, posted a .600 hitting clip in the opening frame, amassing nine kills while failing to record an error.

In the second set, the Illini jumped out to a 14-6 lead following a 6-0 run that began with a service error by the Nittany Lions. Penn State countered the Illinois efforts with a 3-0 run of its own, cutting the Orange and Blue’s advantage to five. Illinois maintained its momentum late into the set, retaining the five-point edge as Collins tallied the final kill of the frame to give the Illini the 25-10 victory.

Illinois got off a slow start in the third set, allowing a 3-0 run to begin the frame. A 4-0 rally followed for the Fighting Illini, giving the Orange and Blue the one-point edge. Penn State maintained its momentum, posting another 3-0, and at the media timeout, Illinois trailed 15-10. Brooke Mosher cut the Nittany Lion advantage to three following an off-speed kill, leading to a timeout for Penn State with the Illini trailing 19-16. An attack error by the Blue and Orange gave the Nittany Lions set point but the Illini did not go away, rattling off a 6-0 run before a service error handed the Fighting Illini a 25-23 loss in the third set.

Looking to rebound in the fourth set, the Illini jumped out to a 9-5 lead following a 3-0 rally that resulted in Penn State burning a timeout. Illinois built on its advantage, adding another three-point swing to hold the 15-9 edge before the Nittany Lions used their final timeout. However, Penn State did not go away quietly, chipping away at the Illini’s lead with a 3-0 rally before the Orange and Blue called a timeout while leading 18-15. Three-straight points gave the Illini match point, but Penn State fired back scoring four-straight to make it a one-point game. Rylee Hinton capped off the stunner with a kill, closing out the four-set win with the final stanza standing at 25-23.

Terry’s 24 kills was the most Penn State has allowed by an individual in a four-set match since Lauren Link of Loyola (Md.) amassed 21 against the Nittany Lions. As a team, the Illini’s .300 clip was the second-highest by a Penn State opponent this season, finishing only behind Ohio State, who hit .312 in a five-set thriller on Oct. 7.

The Illini dominated at the net, notching a season-high 15 blocks as a team. Hinton led the way with eight roofs for the Orange and Blue. Collins tied her season high as she tallied six stuffs.

The match marked Terry’s eighth career 20-kill match and third of the year.

Notes: 

• Starters: Kennedy Collins, Rylee Hinton, Diana Brown, Kayla Burbage, Caroline Barnes, Raina Terry and Brooke Mosher
• The Illini wore sleeveless white jerseys for the fourth time of the season and are now 3-1 when wearing those.
• The Illinois volleyball program is now 111-97 all-time playing a televised match, including a 30-42 record in Big Ten Network aired contests.
• Illinois moves to 13-50 all-time against Penn State. The mark includes an 9-20 mark when playing at home.
• Illinois is now 1-9 against ranked opposition this season.
• Attendance was called at 1,937.