University of Illinois
12-6,4-3Big Ten
Michigan State
14-3,4-3Big Ten
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan St. | 22 | 23 | 25 | 22 | 1 |
| Illinois | 25 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 3 |
Illinois Secures Fourth Ranked Win of Season With Four-Set Victory Over #22 Michigan State
October 15, 2026 | Volleyball
RECAP
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois returned to winning ways with another ranked victory, defeating #22 Michigan State in four sets at Huff Hall on Thursday night.
All four of the Fighting Illini's Big Ten wins have now come against ranked opponents, with the Orange and Blue improving to 12-6 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
Madi Miles led the way once again offensively, tying her career-high with 15 kills while swinging at a .303 clip. Paityn Chapman collected 13 kills, six digs, and five blocks, while Ashlyn Philpot finished with 11 kills and four stuffs.
Kenna Phelan ended the night with 49 assists and nine digs, while Talita Goncalves tallied 20 digs and four assists. Alyssa Aguayo filled the stat sheet with eight kills, 11 digs, and an ace.
The sides opened the match with a back-and-forth first set. Illinois had its largest run of 4-0, which saw the hosts establish an 11-8 lead. The Spartans were able to tie the set at 11, and neither side was able to take a lead bigger than two for much of the frame. After a Michigan State timeout, the Spartans cut the Illini lead to one at 23-22. The Orange and Blue went on to secure back-to-back points and bring home the first set by a score of 25-22.
Trailing 11-10 in the second set, Illinois used a 4-0 run to take a 14-11 advantage. After a 5-0 MSU run saw the Spartans briefly go in front, an Illini kill that was quickly followed by an ace forced Michigan State to call a timeout, and Illinois never looked back. With the Orange and Blue up 23-22, two Illini points sandwiched one from MSU to secure the second set for Illinois, 25-23.
Michigan State responded by narrowly taking the third set, and the Spartans opened the fourth frame with a 5-0 run, but that was the biggest lead they ever got. After keeping it close, Illinois was able to grab its first lead at 16-15 in the middle of another 4-0 run. With the set knotted at 20, Illinois called timeout and came out of it with a 3-1 run to force a MSU timeout. Ultimately, a kill followed up by an ace helped the Illini secure the frame, 25-22, and take the match in four sets.
Illinois (12-6, 4-3 B1G) closes the weekend at Huff Hall on Sunday afternoon with its Hail to the Orange Out match against Michigan. The Fighting Illini and the Wolverines will clash at 1 p.m. CT on B1G+, with limited tickets still available at FightingIllini.com.
NOTES
- Madi Miles finished with 15 kills, three digs, and two blocks.
- Tied her career-high with 15 kills.
- Had double-digit kills for the second time in her collegiate career.
- Set a new career-best with her two blocks.
- Marked the first multi-block game of her career.
- Hit at a .303 clip.
- Tied her career-high with 15 kills.
- Paityn Chapman posted 13 kills, six digs, and five blocks.
- Had 10+ kills for the 14th time this season.
- Has multiple blocks in nine straight appearances.
- Her five blocks marked her most in a Big Ten match this season.
- Kristina Starostenko secured eight kills and four blocks.
- Now has multiple blocks in 15 consecutive outings.
- Alyssa Aguayo logged eight kills, 11 digs, an ace, and two assists.
- Has 10+ digs in five matches this season.
- Has double-digit digs in back-to-back matches for the first time this season.
- Has 10+ digs in five matches this season.
- Ashlyn Philpot tallied 11 kills, four blocks, and three digs.
- Had 10+ kills for the third time this season.
- Has multiple blocks in nine of her last 11 appearances.
- Kenna Phelan filled the stat sheet with 49 assists, nine digs, one block, and a kill.
- Has 40+ assists for the seventh time this season.
- Talita Goncalves totaled 20 digs along with four assists.
- Secured the 10th 20-dig outing of her career.
- Has 20+ digs in four matches this season.
- Has 20+ digs in back-to-back outings for the first time this season.
- Now has double-digit digs in 15 of the last 16 matches.
- Secured the 10th 20-dig outing of her career.
- Maya Harris finished with five digs, two aces, and a kill.
- Has multiple aces in 10 matches this season.
- Illinois secured its fourth ranked win of the season.
- The Illini's four ranked victories are their most since the 2019 season, when they also posted four wins against ranked opponents.
- Illinois is 3-1 when playing ranked opponents at Huff Hall this season.
- The Illini are now 4-4 against ranked opponents this season.
- The Illini improved to 59-28 in the all-time series against Michigan State.
- Illinois extended its winning streak against the Spartans to 10.
- The Illini are now 3-1 in four-set contests this season.
- Illinois is now 6-2 at Huff Hall this season.
- The Illini are now 1-0 when wearing pink sleeveless jerseys.
