The Illini battled hard dropping the sets, 18-25, 19-25, and 22-25, Thursday night to No. 7 Wisconsin at Huff Hall. Through all the sets, it seemed the Badgers managed to always have a five-point advantage that never faltered.
Senior setter Kenna Phelan had another impressive showing putting up 31 assists and four digs. I asked Phelan how it felt to be contributing to the team defensively, and not just as a setter:
“I think defense comfortability stems a lot from the people around you, and we have
a gritty team. It’s definitely somewhere where I wanted to improve in the offseason.”
The first two sets were carried for the Illini by Paityn Chapman and Ashlyn Philpot. Chapman posted 10 kills and Philpot chipped in another nine. When I asked Head Coach Chris Tamas how it felt to have these upperclassmen leaders in the front row he told me:
“It’s what you need in this conference. For them to show what it’s like in these big time environments, it’s a big deal.”
It wasn’t until the third set that the Orange and Blue’s offense started to come alive. Kristina Starostenko, Alyssa Aguayo, and Taylor de Boer all contributed several kills through the final set. These offensive performances made an Illini comeback almost possible, as they ended up pushing the Badgers 22-25.
However, the Illini defense never fell into the swing of things tonight. The defense was picked apart by Wisconsin’s Audrey Flanagan, who ended the night with 12 kills, as well as Eva Travis and Jaela Auguste who each added nine. The team only combined for 30 digs, led by libero Talita Goncalves with nine.
The Illini now fall to 11-5 (3-2 Big Ten) after tonight’s loss.
Illinois looks to bounce back after their two consecutive ranked conference losses. The team travels to No.17 Purdue on Sunday hoping to get back in the win column.
