CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Rutgers volleyball team nearly came out on top for a second set victory on Wednesday night at Huff Hall, but the host Fighting Illini pulled out the set and match win against the Scarlet Knights.

Illinois claimed a 25-16 opening set win and took the second set 26-24 in a frame that saw 11 ties and seven lead changes. Rutgers dropped the final set 25-17 as the Fighting Illini captured the 3-0 victory.
 

STANDOUT STATS

• Freshman Taylor Humphrey led the offense with nine kills while also collecting three blocks on defense.
• Classmate Bekah Williams tallied eight kills and five digs.
• Redshirt junior Lauren DeLo notched 20 assists.
• Junior Kristina Grkovic totaled four blocks, while junior Madyson Chitty had a team-high 10 digs.
• Rutgers led 4-3 in aces with four different Scarlet Knights scoring off the serve.

KEY MOMENTS

• SET 1 (16-25) | The Scarlet Knights trailed 7-5 when the hosts produced a 5-1 run to extend its lead. A Taylor Humphrey attack coupled with a pair of Illini errors kept the opening frame close with RU down 13-9, but another 5-1 burst pushed the Illinois edge to eight. Rutgers closed the gap with a 4-1 run including one of Williams' three kills to set the score at 19-14. The Fighting Illini, however, outscored RU 6-2 to go up 1-0.
• SET 2 (24-26) | Rutgers led 23-21 down the stretch however the Fighting Illini pulled out the win behind a 5-1 run and an unsuccessful Scarlet Knight challenge on the final point. An Illinois service error tied the set up for the seventh time at 17-17 while RU took the lead thanks to an Alissa Kinkela ace and back-to-back attack errors by the home team. Grkovic served up an ace for the Scarlet Knights to lead 23-21. Humphrey contributed five kills in the close set.
• SET 3 (17-15) | Madyson Chitty served up an ace knotting the third frame at 6-6. Illinois, however, posted four of the next five points to remain in front the rest of the way. The Scarlet Knights narrowed their deficit to two twice.  A Williams swing saw RU down 10-8, and a kill from Grkovic had Rutgers behind 12-10. After committing 13 errors on the attack in the first two sets, Rutgers limited the miscues to only four in the final set. The Fighting Illini, however, hit a match-best .368. Humphrey added a trio of kills to her total.

UP NEXT

• The Rutgers volleyball team returns to the court at No. 6 Ohio State on Saturday, Oct. 15 for a 5 p.m. match at the Covelli Center in Columbus.

Follow Rutgers women's volleyball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.