SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Illinois claimed a come-from-behind road win over Notre Dame in a five-set thriller at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana, on Friday night.
Facing a 2-1 deficit in the contest, the Fighting Illini secured the final two sets to improve to 2-1 and have now won each of their last two matches.
Ashlyn Philpot led the way with a team-high 17 kills, equaling her career-best output. Posting a .556 hitting percentage, the sophomore middle blocker also registered seven total blocks, including two solo stuffs.
Auburn Tomkinson set a new career-high kill total of her own, closing the night with 14 kills, in addition to two blocks and a dig.
Taylor de Boer and Alyssa Aguayo each posted their third consecutive performances with double-digit kills, with the pair each tallying 10 kills in the five-set triumph. De Boer tacked on three digs and two blocks, while Aguayo recorded five digs, three blocks, and two assists.
Kenna Phelan posted her first double-double of the season with 45 assists and 11 digs, while Taryn Kirsch totaled a team-most and career-high 17 digs in addition to four assists.
As a team, the Illini equaled their season-high with seven aces while hitting a combined .270.
After a back-and-forth start to the first set, the Fighting Irish put together a 6-0 run, forcing the Illini to take their first timeout with the hosts in front, 13-7. That lead grew as large as eight, though the Orange and Blue used a 5-1 run to cut their deficit in half. Despite Illinois…
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