Illini Make Midweek Highway Journey to #20 Minnesota

Match 20 // Illinois Goes North to Face Golden Gophers
Match 20: Minnesota	Wednesday, Oct. 29 | 7 p.m. CT | Minneapolis, Minn. | Maturi Pavilion | Big Ten Network | Radio | Live Stats
Buy Tickets	Minnesota
Rosters	Illinois | Minnesota
Printable Notes	Illinois
Series History	Minnesota: MINN leads, 46-39-1; Last Match: MINN gained, 3-1, on 11/27/2024; Streak: L10

MATCH 20

The Fighting Illini enter the second half of Big Ten play with a 7-3 file forward of their midweek street journey to #20 Minnesota on Wednesday. First serve between the Orange and Blue and the Golden Gophers is ready for 7 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.

LAST TIME OUT

Illinois fell to Michigan in straight units on Saturday night time at Huff Hall.

Taylor de Boer continued her robust run of kind with a team-leading 17 kills. Now posting double-digit kills in every of the Illini’s 10 Big Ten matches, de Boer additionally made one block.

Alyssa Aguayo totaled 15 kills on a career-best .462 hitting proportion. She additionally added eight digs, two aces, and an help.

Ashlyn Philpot amassed six kills, two blocks, a dig, and an help, whereas Kenna Phelan collected 35 assists, seven digs, two aces, two kills, and a block.

Taryn Kirsch led the way in which defensively with 14 kills whereas tacking on 4 assists.

OPPONENT SCOUT

Minnesota comes into Wednesday’s contest with  a file of 16-5, with the Golden Gophers holding a 6-4 mark in convention play. Minnesota has posted Big Ten wins over Michigan State, Rutgers, Northwestern, Ohio State, Washington, and then-#23 Indiana. The ranked Golden Gophers come into Wednesday’s match with a house file of 9-1, with the lone loss coming in straight units by the hands of UCLA on Oct. 8. 

Minnesota introduced again 9 gamers from a season in the past whereas additionally reloading through the switch portal and its 2025 recruiting class. Senior Julia Hanson is a key piece for this Minnesota staff with a team-high 271 kills after she accrued 473 kills in 2024. 

Minnesota began off its season by successful 12 out of its first 13 video games, with the one loss coming to #9 Texas A&M. The Golden Gophers, who’ve handled accidents all season lengthy, have gone 3-3 throughout their final six matches.

Minnesota is led by Keegan Cook, who has been with the Golden Gophers for 3 seasons as head coach. In 2024, Cook led the Gophers to a 21-11 (13-7 Big Ten) file, a four-win enchancment from the yr prior. Cook spent eight seasons on the helm of the University of Washington program, the place he led the Huskies to 4 Pac-12 Championships.  

SERIES HISTORY

Heading into the 87th all-time assembly between Illinois and Minnesota, Minnesota holds a 46-39-1 file towards the Fighting Illini for the reason that collection started again in 1976. Minnesota has gained 10 straight matchups between the edges. Illinois seeks its first win over Minnesota since Nov. 18, 2017, and its first street win over the Golden Gophers since Sept. 23, 2011.

TOP-10 ROAD WIN

Illinois secured its first ranked victory of the season with a four-set street triumph at #10 Purdue on Sept. 28 within the staff’s first convention street match of the season.

In entrance of a hostile crowd at Mackey Arena, the Orange and Blue’s victory marked their first overcome a top-10 opponent since 2021, whereas the Illini improved to 2-0 in convention play for the primary time since 2022.

Ashlyn Philpot collected 12 kills, together with the ultimate level of the afternoon to seal the victory. Hitting at a .429 clip, she additionally notched 4 blocks and accounted for the Illini’s remaining three kills of the day. 

Alyssa Aguayo and Auburn Tomkinson additionally ended the afternoon with double-digit kills. Aguayo amassed 11 kills, 5 digs, 4 assists, and a block, whereas Tomkinson tallied 11 kills and added a career-high 5 blocks and a dig.

Taylor de Boer led the Illini in kills as soon as once more, ending with 17. She additionally logged a block and a dig.

Defensively, Taryn Kirsch totaled a career-high 21 digs alongside her 5 assists, whereas Kenna Phelan posted her fourth double-double of the season with 39 assists and 10 digs.

DE BOER WINS 2025 ATHLETESCAN TRUE SPORT AWARD

Illinois redshirt sophomore Taylor de Boer was acknowledged on the 2025 Canadian Sport Awards as this yr’s recipient of the AthletesCAN True Sport Award.

The True Sport Award acknowledges an inspirational Canadian citizen who exemplifies true sport values of equity, excellence, inclusion, and enjoyable in a significant method. Through the pursuit of sporting excellence this Canadian hero showcases dedication, perseverance, sportsmanship, respect for others, and a real love of sport.

A local of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, de Boer was honored for her perseverance and resilience all through her battle with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) vasculitis, a uncommon autoimmune illness that assaults the kidneys, joints, lungs, and different small vessels. Diagnosed previous to her first season with the Fighting Illini in 2023, de Boer had simply returned from being a staff captain for Canada’s U19 staff on the Pan American Cup.

Only 17 years outdated on the time of her analysis in the summertime of 2023, she spent the following month in crucial care on the OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria. She used her time within the hospital to get entangled with Uplifting Athletes, which raises consciousness and funds for uncommon illnesses. Continuing her work as she continued her therapy and restoration, she was tabbed a Rare Disease Champion by the group.

Other finalists for this yr’s award included Eric Furtado-Rodrigues (Wheelchair Rugby) and Ruby Stevens (Para Swimming and Wheelchair Rugby).

PHELAN GOOD

Kenna Phelan was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week on Sept. 29 after main the Fighting Illini to a 2-0 week with wins towards [RV] Oregon and at #10 Purdue.

Phelan averaged 9.4 assists/set and a pair of.4 digs/set over the course of the two-match weekend, totaling 66 assists, 17 digs, two kills, two aces, and a block. She tallied 27 assists whereas making seven digs and tacking on an ace and a block within the Illini’s towards the Ducks. Two days later, in her first profession Big Ten street match, Phelan recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 39 assists and 10 digs towards the #10-ranked Boilermakers. She additionally added two kills and an ace because the Orange and Blue earned their first top-10 victory since 2021.

She grew to become the primary Illini to safe Big Ten Setter of the Week honors since Diana Brown in 2021.

IMMEDIATE IMPACTS

Freshman Alyssa Aguayo averaged 2.90 kills, 3.38 factors, 2.10 digs, and 0.42 blocks per set throughout her 69 units of motion whereas beginning all 19 matches. Also totaling six double-doubles so far, she grew to become the primary Illini true freshman with 10+ kills of their first six collegiate matches since 2016, when Jacqueline Quade additionally had 10+ kills in her first six matches.

Fellow freshman Taryn Kirsch has donned the libero jersey throughout the Illini’s first 19 matches, marking the staff’s first freshman starter on the place since 2023. Kirsch leads the Illini in digs, averaging 3.14 digs/set, and set a career-high with 21 digs within the Illini’s four-set win at #10 Purdue.

Auburn Tomkinson, a redshirt sophomore, has made a direct influence at Illinois after transferring from Texas, the place she spent her first two seasons however didn’t play. The California native has 10+ kills in six matches, together with a career-high 17 kills at Maryland on Oct. 10.

Kenna Phelan stepped into the Illini’s beginning setter spot after taking part in her first two seasons at Florida State. She has logged 5 double-doubles, is averaging 9.90 assists/set, and has at the least one block in 14 of Illinois’ 19 matches regardless of standing at 5-foot-7. With her 43 assists and 21 digs at Ohio State, Phelan grew to become the primary Illini with a 40-assist, 20-dig double-double since 2017.

FINE NINE

The Illinois volleyball staff added 9 newcomers for the 2025 season. Auburn Tomkinson, Taryn Kirsch, Devin Dzienny, Gabriella Pitcel, Kenna Phelan, Sophi Randall, Alyssa Aguayo, Ava Wysocki, and Lara Žigic all joined the roster through the offseason. Tomkinson and Phelan have earlier collegiate expertise at Texas and Florida State, respectively. Dzienny was an early enrollee at Florida earlier than making her option to Champaign.

OH, CANADA

Redshirt sophomore Taylor de Boer represented her house nation of Canada at each the U23 NORCECA Pan American Cup and the Senior Pan American Cup in Mexico over the summer season.

De Boer and Canada claimed the silver medal on the U23 NORCECA Pan American Cup. The U23 Canadian staff, making its first-ever look within the Women’s U23 Pan American Cup remaining, fell to the United States within the remaining. The staff’s second-place end was Canada’s greatest ever within the competitors, and it additionally served because the squad’s first-ever medal.

LAND OF LINCOLN

The Illini squad options 4 gamers from the state of Illinois. Bianca May (Orland Park), Averie Hernandez (Bloomington), Vivian Campbell (Oswego), and Ava Wysocki (Kildeer) all hail from the Land of Lincoln.

NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES

The Fighting Illini noticed modifications to go coach Chris Tamas‘ workers in 2025. Meredith Schamun and Hannah Hashbarger joined the staff because the affiliate head coach and director of operations, respectively.

Schamun joins the Illini following a four-year head teaching stint at Penn, most just lately guiding the Quakers to a profitable 13-10 marketing campaign with an 7-7 Ivy League file in 2024. The season included the Quakers’ first win over rival Princeton since 2015 and their first victory over Brown since 2019. Following the season, a pair of Schamun’s gamers obtained All-Ivy recognition.

Schamun got here to Penn from Villanova, the place she helped the Wildcats to a 39-23 file in two seasons because the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Schamun assisted Villanova to a pair of Big East Tournament appearances and a mixed 23-13 file in league play. In 2019, the Wildcats have been 22-9 general and 13-5 within the Big East. That yr, she guided the Wildcat offense to complete second within the league in hitting proportion and skilled Villanova’s all-time help chief.

Prior to arriving at Villanova, Schamun spent two seasons at Tulane as an assistant coach, serving to the Green Wave to the best RPI leap within the nation (157 spots) in 2016. Tulane had its first successful season in three years and completed fifth within the American Athletic Conference with Schamun on the sideline. From 2014-15, Schamun was the director of volleyball operations at UCF, serving to arrange journey, scheduling, and recruiting for the Knights, who gained the convention title and reached the NCAA Championship area in 2014.

A extremely embellished setter at Rice University, Schamun was a four-year starter for the Owls. The Conference USA Setter of the Year in 2009, Schamun was a Conference USA Championship MVP, two-time All-C-USA First Team, AVCA All-Region, and AVCA All-America honorable point out choice. She helped lead the Owls to a convention championship and two NCAA Championship berths, and completed her profession as Rice’s all-time chief in assists with 5,190.­

Hashbarger involves Illinois following two seasons on the Regis volleyball workers, serving because the director of operations and engagement. As this system’s director of operations and engagement, Hashbarger mixed her experience in model advertising, management, and program administration to help the staff’s success.

AS SEEN ON TV

The Illini shall be featured on nationwide tv 9 instances this season. The staff’s street matches at Purdue, Wisconsin, and Minnesota will air on Big Ten Network. The Illini’s house clashes towards Iowa State and Penn State can even be proven on BTN. Contests at Nebraska and UCLA shall be proven on FS1. The inaugural Broadway Block Party match towards Vanderbilt aired on SEC Network, whereas Illinois battled #3 Louisville on the street on ESPN.

HEAD COACH CHRIS TAMAS AT THE HELM

The eighth head coach in Illinois historical past, Tamas has made a formidable influence on Illinois volleyball and owns an general file of 161-101 (.615), together with a 97-71 (.577) mark within the nation’s hardest volleyball league, the Big Ten, in addition to 5 NCAA Tournament appearances, together with three NCAA Regional appearances and a visit to the Final Four in 2018. 

Tamas earned his a centesimal profession win – with all 100 coming on the helm of the Illini program – after main Illinois to its third journey to the Sweet 16 in 5 seasons after back-to-back wins to open the 2021 NCAA event, together with a four-set win over 2020-21 nationwide champion and #7 seed Kentucky in Lexington. His a hundred and fiftieth profession victory got here towards Vanderbilt on the Sprouts Farmers Market Broadway Block Party on Aug. 31.

Illinois skilled certainly one of its most profitable seasons ever in 2018 beneath Tamas, who was subsequently named AVCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year. 

The Illini made this system’s fourth-ever look within the NCAA National Semifinals because the #3 general seed within the event, driving a 17-match win streak into the Final Four and ending the season ranked #3 within the AVCA Coaches Poll. The staff registered a 32-4 general file and completed in second place within the Big Ten with a 17-3 mark, with the 32 victories rating tied for fourth-most in class historical past.

Under Tamas’ management, the Illini collected plenty of particular person honors, highlighted by AVCA All-America First Team alternatives in Jordyn Poulter and Jacqueline Quade, the primary time in program historical past Illinois had a number of first-team honorees in a season.