Champaign, Ill. – University of Iowa volleyball took down Illinois in five sets on Sunday afternoon inside a sold-out Huff Hall. It is Iowa’s first win in Champaign since 2005 and first over the Illini since 2016. The Hawkeyes improve to 13-11 overall and 4-8 in the Big Ten.

The Hawkeyes claimed the first two sets, 25-19 and 25-22. Illinois forced a fifth set after winning the third and fourth sets, 25-19 and 25-15. Iowa secured the decider, 15-10.

Iowa’s win was its third five-set victory of the season. The Hawkeyes improved to 11-1 when winning the first set.

Redshirt sophomore Alyssa Worden recorded her fourth-straight double-double in the victory. Worden tallied 14 digs and 11 kills and hit at a .320 clip. Senior setter Claire Ammeraal closed in on a double-double with 53 assists and nine digs.

Iowa continued to utilize all options in the front row, with four Hawkeyes in double-digit kill figures. Graduate Chard’e Vanzandt led the team with 19 kills. She also added seven digs and four blocks. Junior Hannah Whittingstall terminated 13 kills and hit a team-high .333. The reigning league defensive player of the week had a team-best five blocks in the win. Freshman Carmel Vares made an impact at the pin with 11 kills on 26 swings, good for a .308 hitting percentage.

As a team, Iowa held the advantage in most statistical categories, recording more kills (63-56), a higher hitting percentage (.242 – .196), more assists (58-50) and more blocks (9.0-7.0). From the service line, each team had nine service errors, but Illinois held the advantage in aces (9-2).

Up Next: Iowa (13-11, 4-8 B1G) travels to No. 24 Indiana on Friday night in Bloomington. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. (CT) inside Wilkinson Hall. The match will be streamed on B1G+ and the Hawkeye Radio Network.