CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illini have been on a tear as of late, winning each of their last three games and doing so by an average margin of 23 points. They have done this without the help of one of their stars, redshirt sophomore Gretchen Dolan.
Head coach Shauna Green had been hoping to get one of her leading scorers back in time for March as her team is currently a projected No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN.
It was revealed on Wednesday morning that this would not be happening however
as Dolan had season ending surgery on Monday to fix her torn meniscus.
“It’s tough obviously, it’s always hard for the kid, and for her teammates, and for the program,” Green said. “It’s two years now that she’s had to deal with something like this.”
This is especially unfortunate for Dolan, who was only able to suit up for 10 games last season because of a different knee injury.
After starting the first 17 games for Illinois, she has missed nine of the last 10 for the orange and blue with a knee injury. Dolan did attempt to play on the road against Washington on Feb. 1, but lasted only four minutes before leaving once again.
Green mentioned that this was the moment that they decided on the surgery. She finished the season averaging 12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, all career-highs.
In Dolan’s absence, sophomore Aaliyah Guyton has stepped up as the Illini’s fifth starter. In her eight starts, Guyton has been a constant pressure on the defensive end and behind the arc. She even scored her career-high 22 points on Feb. 11 against Wisconsin.
She will look to continue her solid play on Thursday against Iowa, her former school.
