First set comeback powers Illinois past Oregon in straight sets

The Illinois volleyball team overcame an early deficit to sweep the Oregon Ducks (26-24, 25-15, 25-18).

Fueled by a remarkable first-set rally and a balanced attack, the Illini were able to limit their mistakes and go on multiple runs throughout the match to secure a commanding win and move to 1-0 in Big Ten play.

Oregon came out strong, jumping out to a 10-3 lead behind three early aces and a four-point run. The Ducks maintained their lead for most of the set, going up 20-13 and forcing Chris Tamas to call his second timeout.

The Ducks extended their lead to 22-13 before the Illini went on a stunning 13-2 run, capped off by an Averie Hernandez ace and a huge block by Auburn Tomkinson and Kayla Burbage. They completed the comeback in extra points, 26-24.

Illinois' offense really picked up during the comeback. They finished the set an impressive .394 with 16 kills and just three errors on 33 attacks. Burbage provided a spark, picking up three clutch kills on an efficient four swings. Alyssa Aguayo and Taylor de Boer led the way with five kills each.

Oregon could not maintain their early momentum, finishing just .194 with 11 kills and six errors on 36 swings. Their aggressive serve was causing problems for Illinois in the first set, as they picked up five aces, two each from Ksenija Tomic and Maya De Los Reyes. Iva Sucurovic was a perfect 3-3 in kills.

The second set promised to be another barn burner, with both teams trading points early. However, the Fighting Illini found their rhythm and pulled away for good. They were up 15-10 at the media timeout and that was as close as it got. Illinois cruised to a 25-20 win with a 6-0 run to close out the set.

The Orange and Blue were near perfect in the second set. The team committed just two attack errors and served error-free. On the flip side, Oregon's aggressive serving caught up to them, leading to three errors behind the service line.

Sucurovic continued to be a bright spot for the Ducks tacking on two more kills and maintaining an impressive .875 hitting percentage. Oregon improved their hitting to .273 in the second set, but were still outpaced by Illinois 14-12 in kills.

The Illini continued right where they left off. They jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the third before Oregon burned their first timeout. Illinois never looked back, pushing their advantage to 17-9. The Ducks did show some fight, making it a four-point game at 17-13, but they could never really close the gap. The Illini clinched the match with a 25-18 third-set victory.

de Boer finished the match leading Illinois with 15 kills on a .429 hitting percentage, making it her eighth double-digit kill performance in 11 matches this season. Aguayo added 10 kills, her ninth double-digit kill game in 11 matches, an impressive start to her college career.

Auburn Tomkinson shook off a slow start to contribute nine kills on 18 attacks and also led the team with 1.5 blocks, matched by Burbage, who finished near-perfect with eight kills on nine swings (.889). Kenna Phelan managed the offense well, spreading it around and keeping the Ducks on their toes. She finished with 27 assists, seven digs, and an ace.

Takeaways

Illinois delivered a season-high performance, hitting .362 as a team with 44 kills on 94 swings and a season-best 10 attack errors. Oregon had the exact opposite game, hitting under .200 for just the second time in 11 games. The Ducks' service woes continued, with 10-plus service errors for the sixth time this season. They average over 11 per match.

Once Illinois rallied back from a 22-13 deficit, the game was all but over. They dominated the second and third sets, leaving no doubt. They only trailed for three points in those two sets combined.

The win improves Illinois to 6-4 (1-0). Oregon struggled behind the service line and was unable to side out consistently (46.7 SO%) as the Ducks dropped their second match of the season, 9-2 (0-1).

Looking Ahead

Illinois heads to West Lafayette to face Purdue (10-1, 1-0) in Mackey Arena on Sunday (1 PM CT, BTN), looking to build on their strong start to conference play.