MATCH 13

Illinois volleyball welcomes #2 Nebraska for the annual Stuff Huff match on Thursday night. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. on FS1.

The 2024 campaign marks the 51st season of Illinois volleyball, with the Illini holding an overall record of 1,073-626-7 (.632). Chris Tamas enters his eighth season at the helm for the Orange and Blue, boasting a 139-85 (.627) mark.

An audio stream of the matches will be available on FightingIllini.com/live with Tim Ditman. 

LAST TIME OUT

Illinois volleyball fell to the Washington Huskies, who were receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll at the time, in straight sets on Saturday.  Cari Bohm tallied five kills and five blocks while Ashlyn Philpot posted a team-best seven kills and added four blocks.

REIGN OF TERROR  

Raina Terry continues to impress as the outside hitter competes in her final season in the Orange and Blue. Entering Big Ten play, the Ohio native ranked second in the Big Ten with 210.5 points and 5.13 points per set this year. Terry’s 193 total kills during the 2024 campaign puts the pin in fourth place in the conference. During the Illini’s four tournaments this year, the Orange and Blue standout was named to all four all-tournament teams, being named the MVP twice.

The outside hitter is the only player in the Big Ten with over 190 career aces and over 1,800 career kills. 

In her final season with the Illini, Terry sits third all-time with 1,823 career kills and third with 2,160.5 points. Terry is also the all-time leader at Illinois with 195 career aces.

Illinois Volleyball Career Kills Rankings

Illinois Volleyball Career Points Rankings

Illinois Volleyball Career Service Ace Rankings

1. Raina Terry – 2020-present – 195

2. Mary Eggers – 1985-88 – 180

3. Laura Bush – 1987-90 – 176

4. Taylor Kuper – 2018-21 – 173

5. Disa Johnson – 1984-87 – 154

6. Lorna Henderson – 1989-92 – 146

7. Tina Rogers – 1990-93 – 143

8. Chris Schwarz – 1985-88 – 141

9. Sandy Scholtens – 1985-88 – 131

10. Nancy Brookhart – 1986-89 – 122

BUMPIN’ BARNES 

Caroline Barnes nears the 1,000-career-dig mark during her senior campaign. The Naperville, Ill., native owns 970 digs, so far, with the Orange and Blue. The defensive specialist owns one career double-double and seven 20-plus dig matches. 

HOT TO GO

You could take Illinois volleyball hot to go during the 2024 non-conference slate. The Fighting Illini went 4-0 on the road this year with wins at Bowling Green, Iowa State, WKU and Lipscomb. Overall, the Orange and Blue went 8-2 against non-conference competition.

STUFFED HUFF

Illinois volleyball’s Stuff Huff match against #2 Nebraska on Thursday is sold out of public tickets. Day-of-match tickets for students, who get in free with their I-Card, are still available and will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

Traditionally, the Stuff Huff match has seen Huff Hall sold out just twice before Thursday’s match. All three sellouts took place against a ranked Huskers team.

HONOR ROLL 

After an impressive 4-0 week, Illinois volleyball’s Raina Terry was named the Big Ten Player of the Week, the league announced on Sept. 9.

Terry led the Fighting Illini with 73 kills and a 4.29 kills-per-set average last week. She paced the team in kills during three matches, including a pair of 20-plus kill performances at the Cyclone Invitational. In all four of the Orange and Blue victories, Terry also logged a block. The Ohio native was not only a force at the net but also from behind the service line, amassing 21 aces for a 1.24 aces-per-set average.

For the Cyclone Invitational alone, Terry averaged 4.77 kills per set, totaling 62 for the tournament and owning a .304 hitting percentage for the weekend. In a three-set match against Toledo, Terry notched 17 kills and a .552 hitting clip, posting just one error during the opener. Against host Iowa State, the outside hitter rattled off a season-high 25 kills and four aces in the thrilling triumph. She followed the performance with 20 kills in the tournament finale against Wake Forest. For her efforts, Terry was named the Cyclone Invitational tournament MVP.

The conference player of the week award is a first for Terry. The outside hitter has earned AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten First Team honors the last two seasons. She was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Week in 2020. The last Big Ten Player of the Week to don the Orange and Blue was Jacqueline Quade in 2018.

Terry was also named the MVP of the Best Western Invitational following the opening weekend. The graduate student totaled 23 kills for a 3.83 average in the two sweeps of Bowling Green and Cincinnati.

FEELIN’ 22

Brooke Mosher became the first Illinois player in over 25 years to post a triple-double when she helped Illinois to victory over Wake Forest. Mosher tallied 32 assists,10 kills and 10 digs in the five-set thriller. The last Illini to post a triple-double was Betsy Spicer on Sept. 19, 1998, when she notched 13 kills, 13 digs and 11 blocks. The last triple-double to include assists, kills and digs was recorded by Melissa Beitz in 1997, when the setter added 60 assists, 11 kills and 10 digs. The triple-double by Mosher was the 13th in program history. 

PARTY LIKE IT’S 2018 

The Fighting Illini started the 2024 season on a high note, going undefeated through their first six matches. The start was the best for the program since 2018, when the Illini began the year with an impressive 14-0 record.

HERE FISHY FISHY

True freshmen have made an impact for the Illini squad this season. Laynie Smith notched 11 kills in her collegiate debut against Cincinnati on Aug. 30. The opposite became the first true freshman donning the Orange and Blue to post double-digit kills in her collegiate debut since Jacqueline Quade recorded a squad-best 15 kills against Arkansas on Aug. 26, 2016. She was named to the Best Western Invitational All-Tournament team.

Ashlyn Philpot earned a starting role at middle blocker and made a splash during her first collegiate matches. The North Carolina native earned her first collegiate double-double against Illinois State, amassing 11 kills and 10 blocks. The last freshman middle to record one was Ali Bastianelli in 2015. After an impressive weekend at the Cyclone Invitational, Philpot was named to the all-tournament team.

ACE, ACE, BABY

The Fighting Illini tallied double-digit aces in both matches at the Best Western Invitational. Against Cincinnati, Brooke Mosher had the hot hand, racking up seven strikes from the service line to tie her career best. It was a team effort to reach 12 aces against Bowling Green, with six different players chipping in.

In a five-set match against Iowa State, the Illini recorded 10 aces. Raina Terry led the way during the triumph with four strikes from the service line.

THE TIES THAT BIND

This season, a few opponents will look quite familiar to members of the Illini squad. The season opener against Cincinnati puts Vivian Campbell against her former squad as the setter played for the Bearcats in 2023. Outside hitter Averie Hernandez began her career at Northwestern but joined the Orange and Blue squad this past offseason. Kayla Burbage also started her collegiate journey at Missouri.

SISTER, SISTER

It will be a family affair for a pair of Illini this season as the Orange and Blue face off against two teams that include current member’s siblings. Averie Hernandez faced off against her sister, Sydnie, at Bowling Green during the opening weekend. Raegen Reilly will see her sister, Bergen, twice this year, with the Illini taking on Nebraska at Huff Hall on Oct. 3 and in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 25.

IT’S CORN

Nebraska travels to Champaign with a 12-1 record on the year and a 2-0 mark in the Big Ten,r taking down UCLA and #20 USC this past weekend. The Huskers currently sit at No. 2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll and are top 15-nationally in hitting percentage (.291) and kills per set (14.0). Defensively, the Huskers average 12.7 digs and 2.74 blocks per set. Rebekah Allick ranks third in the Big Ten with 1.41 blocks per set and Andi Jackson owns the besting hitting percentage in the league (.475)

Nebraska owns a 34-8-1 all-time record against Illinois winning 3-1 in the last meeting on Nov. 12, 2023, to make it nine-straight against the Orange and Blue. Head coach Chris Tamas stands at 1-11 against the Cornhuskers in his career.

Chris and Jen Tamas have close ties to the Husker program with the couple serving on John Cook’s staff from 2015-16.

GROWING OUR FAMILLY

After losing six players from last year’s squad, the Fighting Illini added eight newcomers to its 2024 team. Four freshmen joined the Illini: Kenzie Cogan, Ashlyn Philpot, Christine Pullen and Laynie Smith.

Illinois also announced the addition of four transfer students in the offseason. Raegen Reilly, Averie Hernandez, Vivian Campbell and Christina Martinez Mundo will don the Orange and Blue in 2024.

Reilly and Hernandez have ties to other Big Ten teams, with Reilly’s sister, Bergen, playing for Nebraska and Hernandez transferring from Northwestern. 

JORDYN IN PARIS

Illinois volleyball alum Jordyn Poulter represented the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer. The Red, White and Blue team captain helped Team USA secure its fifth-straight medal, silver, at the Olympic Games.

The All-American setter was one of 12 selected for the Olympic roster. Eight Big Ten players made the U.S. roster for the 2024 Olympics. Poulter became the only Fighting Illini volleyball alum to make two Olympic rosters. Poulter and former Illlini All-American Michelle Barsch-Hackley helped the U.S. earn its first-ever gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Kirsten Gleis represented Holland at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, marking Poulter’s addition to the U.S. squad as the fourth time a Fighting Illini alum has made an Olympic team.

During her time in the Orange and Blue, Poulter was a three-time All-American, earning first-team accolades as a senior in 2018. During her stellar senior campaign, the Colorado native was named the Big Ten Co-Setter of the Year, AVCA Northeast Region Player of the Year and a finalist for the Honda Award. Poulter also led the Illini to the program’s fourth-ever NCAA National Semifinal appearance.

…READY FOR IT?

For a third straight year, Raina Terry was named to the Big Ten Preseason Team. Terry was one of 18 conference student-athletes to earn the accolade.

Two-time AVCA all-region selection and two-time All-Big Ten First Team member returned for her final season in the Orange and Blue. The outside hitter announced her return for a fifth year during her Senior Day following the Illini’s triumph over Michigan in 2023.

Terry closed out her senior campaign leading the Big Ten with 618 total points and finishing third with 539 total kills. At the end of the regular season, the outside hitter’s 4.69 kills per set ranked sixth nationally and second in the conference, while her 5.37 points per set were seventh in the country and second in the league. At the end of 2023, the marks ranked eighth and ninth in the country, respectively.

In conference play alone, the senior placed second with 5.41 points per set and third with 4.72 kills per set. Terry also added 0.37 aces per set to rank 10th in the league. The 28 strikes from the service line were fifth best in the league.

During her reign of terror last season, Terry logged 10 matches with 20 or more kills, including seven against league opponents. The six-rotation outside hitter also registered three double-doubles last year. Terry paced the squad in kills during 28 of 30 matches in 2023.

The Marengo, Ohio, native was the first player in the Big Ten to reach 500 kills last year, eclipsing the mark on her Senior Night in the Illini’s match against Michigan (Nov. 18). In the Orange and Blue’s contest at Ohio State, Terry posted a career-best 28 kills in just four sets against the Buckeyes.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2023

With Chris Tamas at the helm for his seventh season, the Fighting Illini posted a 16-14 record with a 11-9 mark in Big Ten play. For a second-straight season, Raina Terry took home All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-Region honors.

Illinois owned a six-match winning streak during Big Ten play, including a top-25 victory over then-No. 16 Purdue (3-1) at Huff Hall. 

In 2023, the Orange and Blue tallied double-digit roofs in 12 contests. The team’s season-high 17 blocks came on two separate occasions, against Michigan State on Sept. 24 and at Maryland on Oct. 22. In matches where the Illini led opponents in blocks, Illinois owned a 13-3 record.

Illinois registered a season-best 12 service aces at Ohio State on Oct. 13 and again against the Buckeyes on Nov. 15. Individually, Brooke Mosher led the way both times, logging five aces during the four-set battle in Columbus and a career-high seven strikes from the service line at Huff Hall. 

HEAD COACH CHRIS TAMAS AT THE HELM

Chris Tamas enters his eighth season as head coach of the Fighting Illini volleyball program in 2023 after being named to the position in February 2017. Tamas (pronounced Thomas) is the eighth head coach in Illinois history.

In his time with the program, Tamas has made an impressive impact on Illinois volleyball and owns an overall record of 139-85 (.627), including a 80-60 (.588) mark in the nation’s toughest volleyball league, the Big Ten Conference, as well as four NCAA Tournament appearances, including three NCAA Regional appearances and a trip to the Final Four in 2018. 

Tamas, most recently, earned his 100th career win – with all 100 coming at the helm of the Illini program – after leading Illinois to its third trip to the Sweet 16 in five seasons after back-to-back wins to open the 2021 NCAA tournament, including a four-set win over 2020-21 national champion and No. 7 seed Kentucky in Lexington. The Illini finished the 2021 season ranked No. 16 in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll with a 22-12 overall record and finished seventh with a 12-8 mark in the Big Ten Conference.  

Illinois experienced one of its most successful seasons ever in 2018 under Tamas, who was subsequently named AVCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year. The Illini made the program’s fourth-ever appearance in the NCAA National Semifinals as the No. 3 overall seed in the tournament, riding a 17-match win streak into the Final Four and ending the season ranked No. 3 in the AVCA Coaches Poll. The team registered a 32-4 overall record and finished in second place in the Big Ten Conference with a 17-3 mark, with the 32 victories ranking tied for fourth-most in school history.

Under Tamas’ leadership, the Illini collected a number of individual honors, highlighted by AVCA All-America First-Team selections in Jordyn Poulter and Jacqueline Quade – the first time in program history Illinois had multiple first-team honorees in a season – as well as a Third-Team selection in Ali Bastianelli. Poulter and Bastianelli, who also garnered All-America Third-Team honors in 2017, were also named Senior CLASS Award finalists and CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees. The trio also collected unanimous All-Big Ten First Team accolades, with junior Ashlyn Fleming named to the second team and Poulter garnering the Illini’s first-ever Big Ten Conference Co-Setter of the Year honor.