CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – What a win. Huff Hall was rocking from start to finish as Illinois took down #16 Purdue, 3-1, to secure its first ranked victory of the season.
Moving to 12-10 on the season and 7-5 in conference play, the Illini held the Boilermakers, who dropped to 14-7 overall and 8-4 against Big Ten opponents and saw their four-match winning streak come to a close, to a season-worst .118 hitting percentage en route to their four-set victory.
After the Boilermakers took the opening frame, the Fighting Illini clinched three-straight sets to extend their winning streak to five matches, their longest of the season.
Raina Terry led the way with a team-high 19 kills, while the Orange and Blue dominated at the net with 15.5 total blocks.
Brooke Mosher recorded a career-high 47 assists in the win, alongside two aces, four kills, and six blocks, the latter of which tied her career-best mark.
Kennedy Collins paced the squad with a team-high nine blocks, while she also tallied nine kills and three digs.
Kayla Burbage and
Jessica Nunge each registered seven kills, with the former also recording five blocks and the latter also totaling six digs.
Cari Bohm tied her career-high stuffs, finishing a strong night at the net with seven blocks and six kills.
Caroline Barnes made a team-high 16 digs in the winning effort, her eighth consecutive outing in double digits.
How it happened
Both teams pieced together 3-0 runs early in the opening frame, with the set tied at 11 and neither side leading by more than two at that point. A 4-1 Purdue turn forced the Illini to take a timeout, trailing by three. Down by five points later in the frame, the Illini used a 4-1 stretch to cut their deficit to two, but the Boilermakers closed the first set with a 4-1 run of their own. Purdue took the opening frame, 25-20, to put the visiting side in front after one period of play.
After the Boilermakers opened the second set with a 3-0 run, the Fighting Illini responded with a 3-0 rally of their own, which was capped off by an ace from
Vanessa Pan. Purdue pushed its advantage up to four points via a 4-0 run, eventually leading, 18-14, but Illinois continued to fight. With Mosher at the service line, Illinois used a 5-0 rally, which included two aces from the Illini setter, to put the Orange and Blue in front, 19-18. Purdue momentarily stopped the bleeding, but Illinois put the set away with back-to-back blocks to cap off a 6-0 run to close the frame. The Illini's 25-19 second-set victory, which included three aces and five blocks, knotted the match at one set apiece.
Illinois carried its momentum into the third set, taking an early 5-3 advantage via kills from Collins, Nunge, and Terry. With the frame tied at eight, the Orange and Blue used a 7-1 run to go ahead by six, their largest lead of the third set. The Boilermakers battled back, though, using a 7-1 turn of their own to even the frame at 16 apiece. A 3-0 Illinois rally put the home side ahead late in the match, 20-17, but the visitors would not go away without a fight, leveling the set at 22. Back-to-back Terry kills saw Illinois serving for the frame, but the Boilermakers fended off two set points to even the period at 24. The Illini responded with consecutive points to take the 26-24 third-set victory and pull ahead in the match, 2-1.
Looking for their first ranked win of the year, Illinois opened the fourth set with a 6-1 rally to take an early five-point edge. After the Boilermakers cut their deficit to a single point, the Illini used another 6-1 stretch to take a six-point lead and force a Purdue timeout. The visitors would not go away quietly, cutting their deficit to as few as two points late in the frame. When it seemed like the Boilermakers were about the complete the comeback, the Orange and Blue concluded the frame with a 6-1 run, which included four blocks, to take home the four-set win. A stuff from Collins and Mosher sealed the deal, sending Huff Hall into a frenzy, as the Illini took the fourth frame, 25-18, and the match, 3-1.
Up Next
Illinois concludes its three-match homestand against Northwestern on Wednesday night at Huff Hall. First serve is slated for 8 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
Notes
- Starters:
Brooke Mosher,
Raina Terry,
Kayla Burbage,
Kennedy Collins,
Lily Barry,
Cari Bohm and
Caroline Barnes
- Illinois moved to 5-3 with this lineup.
- The Illini debuted their long-sleeved pink jerseys for their annual Pink Match.
- The Illinois volleyball program moved to 51-45 against Purdue all time.
- The four-set victory marked the Illini's first win over a ranked opponent this season and their first since topping then-ranked #11 Penn State on Oct. 26, 2022.
- Illinois extended its winning streak to five matches, its longest of the season.
- The Illini last won five consecutive matches in 2021.
- Illinois held Purdue to its worst hitting percentage of the season thus far (.118).
- Head coach
Chris Tamas owns a 6-5 record against the Boilermakers.
- Terry tallied one ace, bringing her career total to 150 as she remains fifth in the Illinois record books.
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Brooke Mosher recorded a career-high 47 assists.
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Kennedy Collins tied her career-high with nine blocks.
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Cari Bohm equaled her career-high with seven stuffs.
- Illinois recorded double-digit stuffs (15.5) for the 12th time this season.
- The Illini's 15.5 blocks marks the team's third-highest total during the 2023 campaign.
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Caroline Barnes tallied double-digit digs (16) for the eighth straight match,
- Illinois moved to 6-2 in four-set matches.
- Attendance on Saturday night was called at 2,845.
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