CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In front of a rowdy crowd at Huff Hall, the Illinois volleyball team upset No. 11 Penn State in a four set battle on Wednesday night.
The Fighting Illini’s victory over the Nittany Lions was the team’s first triumph over a nationally ranked opponent this season. The win also marked head coach Chris Tamas‘ 24th over ranked competition while with the Orange and Blue.
Illinois improved to 10-11 overall and 5-6 in Big Ten play. Penn State dropped to 17-5 this season and 6-5 against league opponents.
The Fighting Illini began a back-and-forth battle from the first serve. A 5-0 scoring run that included four-straight Raina Terry kills, led to a Penn State timeout with the Orange and Blue holding the 12-8 edge. The Illini continued to dominate following the break with a Kennedy Collins and Kayla Burbage block causing Penn State to burn its final timeout of the set with Illinois leading 20-14. Holding the 22-14 advantage, Penn State added a rally of its own, scoring five-straight points before a service error snapped the opposition’s efforts. Illinois closed out the set with back-to-back points, sealing the 25-19 victory in the opening stanza.
Raina Terry led the…
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