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How to Watch No. 1 Nebraska Volleyball vs. Illinois with Preview, Breakdown, TV

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The unanimous No. 1 Nebraska Volleyball team avoided any late-night Halloween scares against Wisconsin and the dangerous hangover that comes after, taking down Oregon in NU’s 13th straight sweep and locking up its 40th consecutive set victory.

The 2025 version of Nebraska Volleyball is closing on one of the most dominant regular seasons in college volleyball history, but has reiterated time and time again by head coach Dani Busboom Kelly and her team — they simply don’t care. The only thing that matters is hanging a banner, and that only happens if the Huskers can get past the Final Four scaries, which doomed them in the 2023 National Championship versus Texas and last year’s national semifinal defeat to eventual champion Penn State.

We’re still over a month away from Nebraska being able to right those wrongs, so the focus turns to Thursday night, when the Huskers take on a young Illinois team that’s experiencing hard times after a fast start to conference play that once had the Illini right behind NU.

Here’s all you need to know for Nebraska’s home showdown against Illinois before beginning a three-match road swing.

How to Follow Along 

Illinois head coach Chris Tamas was Nebraska assistant coach for John Cook from 2014-2017.

Illinois head coach Chris Tamas was Nebraska assistant coach for John Cook from 2014-2017 before taking the job with the Illini. / Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Illinois Scout

Head Coach

Chris Tamas | 9th season at Illinois & as HC | 161-103 (.610) at Illinois & Career Record | 5x NCAA Tournament Appearances | AVCA Northeast Region Coach OTY (2018) | Previous assistant at Nebraska, Cal Poly, Minnesota and UC Riverside. 

2024 Finish

L, 3-1 vs. Northern Iowa in NCAA First Round.

2024 Record & Awards

18-13 (10-10 B1G, 8th) | All-Americans: 1x Third Team | Midwest All-Region: 1x First Team | B1G Coach & Freshman OTY | All-B1G: 1x First Team, 1x All-Freshman.

All-Time Series

Nebraska leads 36-8-1 (Oct. 25, 2024, last matchup, 3-0 NU) 

Returning Production 

Points: 41% | Kills: 41% | Service Aces: 17% | Blocks: 59% | Assists: 4% | Digs: 16%

Taylor de Boer (left) and Kayla Burbage (right) returned to Champaign to take on elevated roles for the 2025 season.

Taylor de Boer (left) and Kayla Burbage (right) returned to Champaign to take on elevated roles for the 2025 season. / Illinois Athletics

Key Returners

Former Illinois opposite Raina Terry was drafted by Major League Volleyball's Columbus Fury after the 2024 season.

Former Illinois opposite Raina Terry was drafted by Major League Volleyball’s Columbus Fury after her All-American campaign in 2024. / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Key Departures

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Illinois libero Taryn Kirsch (2) has been one of a few impact true freshman starters for the Illini this season.

Illinois libero Taryn Kirsch (2) has been one of a few impact true freshman starters for the Illini this season. / Illinois Athletics

Outlook

Reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021 last season, Illinois was bounced in the first round by Northern Iowa, ending a season that saw the Illini have its worst finish in the Big Ten under head coach Chris Tamas (8th place).

Tamas and his staff were forced to plug in holes after some key contributors departed the program. Three-time All-Big Ten First Team pick Raina Terry graduated and joined the pro ranks after eclipsing 500 kills and 50 aces in a year that earned her AVCA Third Team All-America honors. Starting setter Brooke Mosher entered the transfer portal and was quickly grabbed by Pittsburgh to replace All-American Rachel Fairbanks to run the Panther offense. Laynie Smith was third on the team in points in her freshman season, but she transferred to North Carolina to be closer to home. Finally, starting libero Christina Martinez Mundo exhausted all her college eligibility after posting 3.54 digs per set.

There was no panic or change of strategy from Tamas, who has relied on the growth of young returners, seven new freshmen and only two transfers to push his program forward. Attacker Taylor de Boer is a prime example of program development, taking over as the team’s leading scorer (300.5) after only seeing 16 sets last season. The same goes for Kayla Burbage, who did not play in 2024 but has come out of nowhere to be the Illini’s leading blocker with 77 total and 1.00 per set. Plus, Averie Hernandez has become the team’s super serving sub with a team-leading 24 aces off the bench.

Illinois enters Thursday on a four-match losing streak, but a 7-3 record on the road in 2025.

Illinois enters Thursday on a four-match losing streak, but a 7-3 record on the road in 2025. / Illinois Athletics

Alyssa Aguayo has been the standout from the seven-player freshmen class for Illinois, emerging as the team’s second option behind de Boer with 3.29 points per set on 218 kills, 29 blocks and 21 aces. After being part of a 6-2 at Florida State, Kenna Phelan transferred to Champaign in hopes of running her own offense and that has panned out with her averaging 9.70 assists per set while being second with 190 digs. Speaking of defense, you’ll see another true freshman starter in libero Taryn Kirsch, who’s made a team-high 239 digs this season for a 3.10.

Since being picked as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament by ESPN’s Bracketology on Oct. 16, Illinois has fallen off a cliff. They won their first two matches after that reveal — against last-place Ohio State and 12th-place Northwestern — but followed with four-straight defeats at the hands of No. 11 Purdue, Michigan, No. 20 Minnesota and Iowa. The Illini need to rack up a few more wins to clinch their spot in the postseason, but with five ranked opponents in their last eight matches, it’s going to be a sweat until the bracket reveal.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.



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Tomashek named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week

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HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech men’s basketball senior Marcus Tomashek has been named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for week six, the league office announced on Monday.

The honor marks the ninth of his career and the first of his senior season.

Tomashek, a standout from Green Bay, Wisconsin, averaged 30.5 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds to lead the No. 9 nationally-ranked Huskies to win over Florida Tech (64-52) before blitzing the high-flying offense of the Lynn Fighting Knights (105-67) at the Florida Tech Christmas Classic over the weekend to wrap non-conference play with a 11-1 record overall.

In the largest scoring game against a Division II opponent in over 15 years, Tomashek netted a season-high 39 points in the 105-67 win on 14-21 from the field and 11-17 from 3-point land, breaking the school record for single-game 3-point field goals made, surpassing fellow Husky All-Americans Kyle Monroe and Ben Stelzer. He also added four assists that helped the Huskies break the team record for most 3-point field goals made with 23.

Tomashek finished the weekend shooting 54.1 percent from the field (20-37), 50 percent from long range (14-28) and a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe.

The Huskies resume GLIAC play next weekend, hosting Grand Valley State Thursday and Davenport on Saturday.



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SCAC Announces 2025 Fall All-Sportsmanship Teams

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SUWANEE, Ga. — The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) today announced its 18th annual fall All-Sportsmanship teams. A total of 63 student-athletes – the most since 2011-12 – were selected to the 2025 squad in the sports of men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball.

Since the inaugural All-Sportsmanship teams were honored in the fall of 2008, the SCAC has recognized over 2,500 student-athletes who each, in his or her own way, has displayed the league’s core belief in the value of honorable conduct.

For this year’s selections, each conference head coach was asked to elect one member from his or her team who displayed good sportsmanship throughout the season. 

The 2025 SCAC All-Sportsmanship honorees for the fall sports season are listed below:

2025 All-Sportsmanship Men’s Cross Country Team
Centenary College – Zack Wroten, Fy., Benton, Louisiana
Colorado College – Luc Santos, Sr., Exeter, New Hampshire 
Concordia University (Texas) – Gerardo Leal, Fy., Dallas, Texas
University of Dallas – Martin Lane, So., Hot Springs, South Dakota
Hendrix College – Davin Barragan, Fy., Hot Springs, Arkansas
LeTourneau University – Austin Jett, Jr., Magnolia, Texas
McMurry University – Roman Perez, Sr., Big Spring, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Daniel Sanderson, Sr., Clarksville, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Sean Dansby, Jr., Pasadena, Texas
University of St. Thomas – Mason McFeeters, Jr., Lake Jackson, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Peyton Bristow, Fy., Round Rock, Texas

2025 All-Sportsmanship Women’s Cross Country
Centenary College – Grayson Shugart, So., McKinney, Texas
Colorado College – Brooktie Frogge, Sr., Nashville, Tennessee
Concordia University (Texas) – Camille McWhorter, Jr., Humble, Texas
University of Dallas – Teresa Chshen, Jr., River Ridge, Louisiana
Hendrix College – Pippy Newell, Fy., Owasso, Oklahoma
LeTourneau University – Alayna Galloway, Sr., Montgomery, Texas 
McMurry University – Madison Soultanova, Sr., Jacksonville, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Chloe Weathers, Sr., Clarksville, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Piper Hoeke, So., Boerne, Texas
University of St. Thomas – Alejandra Ramon, Jr., Klein, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Audrey Malbrough, So., Selma, Texas

2025 All-Sportsmanship Football
Austin College – Evan Dennis, Sr., McKinney, Texas
Centenary College – Gideon Bowman, So., Destrehan, Louisiana
Hendrix College – Auvic White, Sr., Munford, Tennessee
Lyon College – Grayson Johnson, Jr., Anniston, Alabama
McMurry University – Kimani Smith, Sr., Austin, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Anthony Ortegon, Jr., Houston, Texas

2025 All-Sportsmanship Men’s Soccer
Austin College – Justin Ajdukovich, Sr., Frisco, Texas
Centenary College – Joshua Mensah, So., Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Colorado College – Will Jones, So., Colorado Springs, Colorado
Concordia University (Texas) – Steven Dolan, Jr., Bellevue, Washington
University of Dallas – Josh Longlois, So., Houston, Texas
Hendrix College – Charlie Mata, Sr., Houston, Texas
LeTourneau University – Nate Bransford, Sr., Kijabe, Kenya
McMurry University – Abel Gonzalez, Fy., Dallas, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Hunter Robert, Sr., Montgomery, Texas
Schreiner University – Derek Toney, Fy., San Antonio, Texas
University of St. Thomas – Elijah Flores, Sr., Missouri City, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Preston Huff, Sr., Houston, Texas               

2025 All-Sportsmanship Women’s Soccer
Austin College – Lynna Martin, Fy., Paris, Texas
Centenary College – Anna Hobart, Fy., Natchitoches, Louisiana
Concordia University (Texas) – Lilianna Cherry, Jr., Kingwood, Texas
University of Dallas – Kit Gibbons, Sr., Tomball, Texas
Hendrix College – Ella Kelly, Sr., Webster Groves, Missouri
LeTourneau University – Clarissa Martinez, Sr., Richwood, Texas
McMurry University – Alexandria Flores, Jr., San Angelo, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Jayden Vazquez, So., Dardanelle, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Aspen Ulibarri, So., Clovis, New Mexico
University of St. Thomas – Bre Medina, Fy., Pearland, Texas
Texas Lutheran University – Alysa Marquez, Jr., Miami, Florida

2025 All-Sportsmanship Volleyball
Austin College – Selah Coleman, Sr., Houston, Texas
Centenary College – Hannah Dimmel, Jr., Navasota, Texas
Colorado College – Meghan Gannon, Jr., Cleveland, Ohio
Concordia University (Texas) – Camryn Parker, Sr., Garland, Texas
University of Dallas – Breana Timms, Fy., Mansfield, Texas
Hendrix College – Lily Meyer, Sr., Omaha, Nebraska
LeTourneau University – Emma Smith, Sr., San Antonio, Texas
McMurry University – Jalie Miller, So., Rockwall, Texas
University of the Ozarks – Claire Zeiler, Fy., Paris, Arkansas
Schreiner University – Emma Frye, Jr., Tigard, Oregon
University of St. Thomas – Madi Baker, Jr., Rancho Cucamonga, California
Texas Lutheran University – Ryann Ely, Sr., Montgomery, Texas

To view an archive of past All-Sportsmanship teams, click here.



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RICHARDSON NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-LEAGUE TEAM

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakota State junior Joslyn Richardson was one of four repeat honorees on the 2025 Summit League Volleyball Academic All-League Team released by conference officials Monday. A total of seven volleyball athletes league-wide were named to the team that was voted on by the membership’s faculty athletic representatives and sports information directors.
 
Richardson, a two-time Summit League Scholar of the Championship presented by JLG Architects, collected the second all-academic honor of her career. 

Richardson played every match as the Jackrabbits’ libero in 2025 and led the team in digs per set with 3.31. She also set a new program record with 41 ace serves this year. 

 

To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team’s competitions.

 

Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the league’s ten institutions and voting is conducted by both the SIDs and facility athletic representatives (FARs). The team is made up of the seven student-athletes receiving the most votes with all ties standing.

2025 Summit League Volleyball Academic All-League Team











 Name  School  Yr.  Pos.  GPA  Major
 Ally Barth  NDSU  Sr.  MB  3.94 Management Communication
 Kamryn Farris  South Dakota  Sr.  DS  3.75 Business
 Avery Van Hook**  South Dakota  Jr.  S  3.87 Kinesiology & Sport Management
 Kali Jurgensmeier**  Omaha  Sr.  OH  3.82 Biology
 Amanda Loschen  South Dakota   Jr.  MB  3.86 Medical Biology
 Lauren Perugini**  North Dakota  Jr.  OH  4.00 Dietetics
 Joslyn Richardson**  SDSU  Jr.  DS  4.00 Construction Management

 *Career Academic All-League honors

-GoJacks.com-

 



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Una Vajagic becomes first Badger Volleyball starter to transfer after national semifinal run | Sports

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MADISON, Wis. — In a surprising move on the volleyball court, Una Vajagic has announced that she is entering the transfer portal. This news is a stunner for Badger fans, as the sophomore ranked second on the team in kills and becomes the first Badger starter to leave since their national semifinal run.

Vajagic was expected to take on a larger role next season with the graduation of Mimi Colyer and Carter Booth. However, head coach Kelly Sheffield is already taking steps to replenish the roster, bringing in Florida’s Jaela Auguste, a Middle Blocker, and Eva Travis, an Outside Hitter from UC-Santa Barbara.

Looking ahead, there is promising news for Wisconsin volleyball. According to PrepDig, Wisconsin boasts the #1 recruiting class in the nation, incoming in 2026. This signals a bright future for the program despite the unexpected departure of Vajagic.

​COPYRIGHT 2025 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.



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Tigers Picked Fourth in EIVA Preseason Poll

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PRINCETON, N.J. – The Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the EIVA preseason poll, announced Monday. Mason Rice and Ryan Vena were named EIVA preseason players to watch. 

With 26 points, Princeton is fourth in the rankings behind Penn State, which was unanimously selected first, NJIT, and George Mason. 

Vena and Rice were named players to watch by the EIVA coaches. Vena, a senior middle blocker, was a First Team All-EIVA honoree in 2025. Rice, a sophomore pin, was named to the Second Team All-EIVA after a breakout freshman season. 

In 2025, the Tigers went 15-11 overall and 10-2 in the EIVA, winning the EIVA regular season championship before falling to Penn State in the EIVA tournament finals. 

The Tigers will kick off the 2026 season on January 3rd as they take on Toronto Metropolitan on the road in Canada. First serve is set for 8 p.m.

2026 EIVA Preseason Coaches’ Poll











Rank

Team (First-place votes)

Points

2025 Record

1

Penn State (7)

49

15-16, 8-4

2

NJIT

34

14-13, 8-4

3

George Mason

32

16-13, 6-6

4

Princeton

26

15-11, 10-2

T-5

Charleston

22

12-17, 5-7

T-5

Harvard

22

9-15, 5-7

7

Sacred Heart

11

6-17, 0-12



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Barth Named to Summit League Volleyball All-Academic Team

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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Senior middle blocker Ally Barth has been named to the Summit League Volleyball All-Academic Team for the first time in her career, the league office announced on Monday afternoon.

Barth boasts a 3.94 GPA in Management Communication and was one of seven players in the Summit League to earn a spot on the Academic All-League Team. The Verona, Wis., native was also named to the CSC Academic All-District Team for the third time in her career earlier this month.

To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team’s competitions, except pitchers who must have participated in 20 percent of their team’s total contests.

Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the league’s participating members, and voting is conducted by both SIDs and FARs.

The full Summit League release can be viewed here.

 



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