Fighting Illini Drop Conference Battle at #2 Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. – Illinois volleyball fell to #2 Nebraska in straight sets at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Friday night.

The Fighting Illini moved to 13-6 overall and 5-4 in Big Ten play. The Huskers improved to 19-1 and 9-0 in league action.

The Orange and Blue hit .217 in the match with 41 kills. Raina Terry led all players with 15 kills while hitting .213 in the loss. Brooke Mosher paced the team 31 assists and Christina Martinez Mundo led the Orange and Blue with 13 digs.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Illinois struggled early in the opening set, and the Illini trailed 15-12 at the media break. The Fighting Illini chipped away at Nebraska’s advantage, with a kill from Terry closing the deficit to three. But the Huskers tacked on a 3-0 run late in the set, putting Illinois behind 20-14 before the Orange and Blue called its final timeout of the opener. A Terry kill helped fend off set point, but the Huskers eventually took the first set, 25-17.

The second set favored the opposition early with Illinois trailing 7-3 following a 4-0 run. Kills from Ashlyn Philpot and Averie Hernandez helped cut the Husker lead to just a pair, 11-9. However, the team trailed 15-10 when it came to the media timeout. The Illini continued to fumble late into the set, taking a timeout while behind 20-13. The Fighting Illini made a late push with Lily Barry behind the service line, scoring five straight, 20-18, before Nebraska looked to stall the Orange and Blue. However, Illinois allowed a 4-0 run to get Nebraska to set point before…