No. 24 Illinois left Huff Hall Thursday night still searching for the answer to No.
7 Wisconsin, and the Badgers never really let the Illini get close. Wisconsin took the match in straight sets, 25-18, 25-19, 25-22, with Illinois spending much of the night trying to chip away at a five-point cushion that kept showing up and never really disappeared.
The Illini did get strong work from senior setter Kenna Phelan, who finished with 31 assists and four digs. Asked about her growing comfort on defense, Phelan said, “I think defense comfortability stems a lot from the people around you, and we have a gritty team. It’s definitely somewhere where I wanted to improve in the offseason.”
Illinois also leaned on its upperclassmen in the front row early. Paityn Chapman had 10 kills and Ashlyn Philpot added nine, and head coach Chris Tamas pointed to that kind of production as a must in the Big Ten.
“It’s what you need in this conference. For them to show what it’s like in these big time environments, it’s a big deal.”
The offense found more life as the night went on. In the third set, Kristina Starostenko, Alyssa Aguayo, and Taylor de Boer each helped fuel a late push, and Illinois managed to drag Wisconsin to 25-22 before the sweep was sealed.
Even with that late surge, the Illini couldn’t match Wisconsin’s pressure on defense. Audrey Flanagan led the Badgers with 12 kills, while Eva Travis and Jaela Auguste each finished with nine. Illinois, meanwhile, totaled just 30 digs, with libero Talita Goncalves leading the way with nine.
The loss drops Illinois to 11-5 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play. The Illini now turn to No. 17 Purdue on Sunday, looking to respond after back-to-back ranked conference defeats.
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Several of those dates still need times and networks finalized, which only adds to the sense that these are the kinds of games TV partners want to feature later and prominently. For Illinois, it is another sign of how much weight its name still carries in college basketball, and how demanding the road to the postseason can be when the non-conference calendar is built this way. [Read more 🡒]