The volleyball team absorbed a double road whipping at the hands of the Big 10’s best teams last weekend.
On Friday night in Columbus, the Illini led 16th-ranked Ohio State 14-8 in the first game. They served for the game seven times, but the Buckeyes held firm and rallied to take a 17-15 decision. The Illini went quietly after that, losing the next two games 15-3 and 15-9. On Saturday night in State College, Pa., No. 7 Penn State destroyed Illinois 15-4, 15-10 and 15-3.
The best individual Illini performance was turned in by junior middle blocker Sue Nucci, who had 17 kills and 24 digs on the weekend. The Illini dropped to 14-10 overall, 11-5 in the conference.
The women’s cross-country team finished fifth among 33 schools in the NCAA’s District 4 championships in Bloomington, Ind. Karen Morris, a senior from Chrisman, finished seventh overall in the 5-kilometer event and qualified for the NCAA nationals on Nov. 23 at Lehigh.
