University of Illinois
2-2,0-0Big Ten
McNeese State
0-6,0-0Southland
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| McNeese | 14 | 11 | 22 | 0 |
Illinois Opens Rice Invitational With Dominant Sweep Over McNeese State
September 5, 2026 | Volleyball
RECAP
HOUSTON – Illinois opened its run at the Rice Invitational with a sweep of McNeese State at Tudor Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.
Hitting .366 as a team, the Fighting Illini saw three players finish with double-digit kills and two register double-digit digs in the team's three-set takedown of the Cowgirls.
Alyssa Aguayo finished with a team-high 12 kills while adding four digs and two aces and swinging at a .423 clip. Paityn Chapman posted her second double-double of the season with 11 kills and 10 digs while equaling her career-high of three aces.
Taylor de Boer tallied 10 kills and three digs with a .625 hitting percentage, while Lindsay Oldendorf and Kristina Starostenko logged five kills apiece.
Maya Harris set a new career-high with four aces along with four digs, while Talita Goncalves totaled 10 digs and four assists. Kenna Phelan dished out 33 assists and added eight digs.
The Illini stormed out to a 10-3 advantage early in the first set, which included a 6-0 run with Harris at the service line, forcing McNeese State to use both of their timeouts. The Orange and Blue extended that advantage to 15-5 at the media break and went ahead by as many as 12 in the frame. Hitting .538 in the set, Illinois ultimately claimed the opening frame, 25-14.
Carrying their momentum into the second set, the Illini accounted for the first four points of the frame and soon lengthened their lead to 13-8. The Orange and Blue closed the set on a 12-3 run, taking the frame by a commanding 25-11 margin.
Two separate 4-1 runs early in the third set helped Illinois establish a 10-5 edge, though the Cowgirls battled back to within a point, 11-10. Soon after, a 4-0 Orange and Blue scoring stretch saw the Illini grab an 18-12 advantage and force the Cowgirls to use a timeout. Despite a late McNeese push, Illinois closed out the frame, 25-22, to complete the sweep.
Illinois closes the Rice Invitational against the host Owls on Sunday afternoon. First serve from Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston is slated for 2 p.m. CT and will stream on ESPN+.
NOTES
- Paityn Chapman recorded a double-double with 11 kills, 10 digs, three aces, and a block.
- Marked her second double-double of the season/of her career.
- Had double-digit kills for the third time this season.
- Tied her season/career-high with three aces.
- Alyssa Aguayo amassed 12 kills, four digs, and two aces.
- Posted double-digit kills for the second time this season.
- Set a new season-high with two aces.
- Taylor de Boer posted 10 kills in addition to three digs and a block.
- Recorded double-digit kills for the 26th time in her career.
- Swung at an efficient .625 clip.
- Maya Harris tallied four aces, four digs, and a kill.
- Secured a career-most four aces.
- Has multiple aces in three of her first four college appearances.
- Her four aces are the most by an Illini this season.
- Secured a career-most four aces.
- Talita Goncalves totaled 10 digs and four assists.
- Has double-digit digs in back-to-back matches.
- Illinois posted a .366 hitting percentage as a team.
- The Illini recorded 10 aces.
- Marked the team's most aces since amassing 12 in a four-set match against Iowa State on Sept. 20, 2025.
- The Illini held McNeese State to zero blocks.
- Illinois held an opponent to zero blocks for the first time since Sept. 2, 2017, vs. Western Kentucky.
- The Illini moved to 1-0 against McNeese State in the all-time series.
- The Illini are now 1-0 when wearing blue sleeveless jerseys.
