CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Illinois volleyball took down Northwestern in four sets at Huff Hall on Sunday afternoon.
The Fighting Illini improved to 9-5 this year with a 1-3 Big Ten record. The Wildcats dropped to 3-9 overall and 1-3 in league play.
As a team, the Orange and Blue hit .299 for the match with 59 kills. The Illini squad added 52 digs, 45 assists and nine blocks.
Four players earned double-digit kills as Ashlyn Philpot led the way with 14. Raina Terry tallied 13 kills while Averie Hernandez and Laynie Smith recorded 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Brooke Mosher added her 18th career double-double, tallying 33 assists and 12 digs.
Defensively, Christina Martinez Mundo paced the squad with 15 digs while Lily Barry posted a season-high 11 digs. Both Philpot and Smith amassed five blocks each in the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Fighting Illini offense came out stale to begin the match, trailing 7-4 in the opening frame. The team chipped away at the Wildcat advantage and back-to-back kills from Smith knotted the set at nine. Philpot knocked a Northwestern overpass to the floor, leaving the opposition to take a timeout with Illini clinging to the 13-10 advantage. Back-and-forth the teams battled, but a 3-0 run by Northwestern led to an Illinois timeout with the Wildcats ahead 19-18. Despite coming within a point down the stretch, back-to-back Orange and Blue errors concluded the 25-22 defeat in the opening frame.
Looking to bounce back in the second…
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