Welcome to “This Week in Illini Athletics,” a weekly review of the past week of Illini sports and a preview of the week to come.

Football (2-1 Overall, 0-1 Big Ten)

Last Week: This team could be special. On Saturday afternoon the Illini took on the Virginia Cavaliers in Champaign. Despite having shaky offensive possessions, the Illini (especially their defense) put on a masterful team win. This convincing win comes after Virginia has handedly beaten Illinois the past two seasons.

Final: Virginia 3, Illinois 24

Full Game Recap below:

This Week: The football team has this week off, before they play Chattanooga on Thursday the 22nd.

Women’s Soccer (5-2-1 Overall, 0-0 Big Ten)

Last Week: It was Rivalry Week for the women’s soccer team as they went up against non-conference opponents, Missouri and Loyola Chicago. The Illini were able to walk away with an undefeated week.

• vs. Missouri - The 3-2-1 Tigers were looking to come away from Champaign with a much needed win. In the first 10 minutes, the urgency from the Tigers was showing as they put up consecutive shots on the Illini. Illinois was not bothered, as the first shot by Kendra Pasquale sailed right past the Missouri goal-keeper, making it 1-0 early in the 1st. And that was all the Illini needed. Illinois would go on to shutout Missouri, though the Tigers put up double the amount of shots.

Final: Missouri 0, Illinois 1

• vs. Loyola Chicago - This match did not start out the way the Illini intended. Before you could blink, Loyola scored on the Illini in the 2nd minute of the game. Illinois, now trying to answer, put up 10 shot attempts alone in the 1st half, but Loyola’s defense stood strong to close out the half. With the Illini starting to feel the pressure as the match winded down, they equalized with a goal by Maeve Jones in the 71st minute, her first of the season. The Illini were now looking for an opening to take the match, and in the final minute they had their chance. With four seconds remaining, the Illini’s Aleah Treiterer fires a last second hope at the net but it sailed high left.

Final: Loyola Chicago 1, Illinois 1

This Week: The Illini will open up B1G conference play on Sunday against Michigan State.

#25 Volleyball (4-3 Overall, 0-0 Big Ten)

Last Week: The Illini attended the Dayton Invitational and walked away undefeated with 3 wins.

• vs. Missouri State - The first set was a back & forth affair ending with Illinois’s Maddy Bushnell recording a kill. The second set was one that the Illini wish they could forget, with the Bears scored 8 unanswered points to win the set. Illinois made sure to halt Missouri State’s momentum, dominating the third set, only allowing 11 points. In the 4th and deciding set, although Missouri State showed fight, the Illini were too much.

Set 1: Missouri State 23 Illinois 25

Set 2: Missouri State 25 Illinois 14

Set 3: Missouri State 11 Illinois 25

Set 4: Missouri State 18 Illinois 25

Final: Missouri State 1 Illinois 3

• vs. Villanova - Illinois absolute owned this match from the first set. With the help of Raina Terry and Kayla Burbage, the Illini were able to produce 38 total kills compared to Villanova’s 19.

Set 1: Villanova 16 Illinois 25

Set 2: Villanova 9 Illinois 25

Set 3: Villanova 16 Illinois 25

Final: Villanova 0 Illinois 3

• vs. Dayton - Although the Flyers played Illinois closer than Villanova, the results mirror each other. With the first set tied at 15, the Illini would go on to score 10 of the last 12 points to win the set. Illinois found themselves in a deficit during the second set: while being down 6, the Illini managed to go on to win 11 of 12 points to turn the match on its head. Dayton could not climb back into this one as the Illini swept the rug out from under them.

Set 1: Dayton 17 Illinois 25

Set 2: Dayton 23 Illinois 25

Set 3: Dayton 22 Illinois 25

Final: Dayton 0 Illinois 25

This Week: The Volleyball team will face two in-state opponents in Eastern Illinois and Illinois State. They will also travel to Wisconsin to take on Marquette on Saturday.

Cross Country

This Week: Both men’s and women’s cross country teams will continue their seasons at the John McNichols XC Invitational at Indiana State.

Women’s Golf

This Week: The women’s golf team will start their season this week at the Cougar Classic at the University of Charleston (South Carolina).

#11 Men’s Golf

This Week: The men’s golf team also starts their season this week in hosting the Fighting Illini Invitational here in Champaign.

Women’s Tennis

This Week: The women’s tennis team will open up their season in the Wahoowa Invite at the University of Virginia over the weekend. This tennis team is considered a top 40 team in the nation by ITA.

Men’s Tennis

This Week: The boys are traveling down to Tennessee to attend the Knoxville Showdown at the University of Tennessee.