BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Illinois volleyball fell to No. 24 Dayton in four sets at E.A. Diddle Arena on Friday afternoon as part of the Hyatt Place Invitational.
The Fighting Illini moved to 6-1 this season, while the ranked Flyers remained unbeaten at 6-0.
Raina Terry led the way with 17 kills, 12 digs and four aces. The four strikes from the service line helped the Ohio native reach 182 for her career, which saw her become the program’s all-time aces leader.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Illinois got off to a hot start with Terry behind the service line, taking a 5-1 lead following back-to-back aces. A back-and-forth battle ensued, with Dayton burning its final timeout after an Averie Hernandez kill put the Orange and Blue ahead, 20-15. The Fighting Illini kept their momentum going deep into the set, with Hernandez sealing the 25-18 triumph in the opening frame.
In the second set, the Illini fell behind, 13-7, before the Orange and Blue called for a timeout. The Flyers’ advantage grew to nine late, but the Illini fought back, creeping within three and forcing Dayton to call a timeout with the Illini trailing, 22-19. The comeback fell short, with Illinois dropping the set, 25-19.
With the match knotted at one set apiece, the Flyers maintained their dominance over the Illini from the previous frame, owning the 15-10 edge at the media break. Despite a 7-0 run with Vivian Campbell at the service line and Dayton holding set point, the Orange and Blue dropped the frame, 25-20.
Needing a win to force a decisive fifth…
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