Birds Fall in Linda Herman Classic Finale

Box Score

VB vs IllinoisUC Santa BarbaraNORMAL, Ill. – In the final match of the 2025 Linda Herman Classic, the Illinois State Redbirds fell to the Big Ten's Illinois Fighting Illini in three sets on Sunday afternoon behind scores of 25-17, 25-18, and 26-24.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Set (17-25): The Fighting Illini and Redbirds fought to a 2-2 tie score early; however, the Illini scored seven of the next eight points to push out to a 9-3 lead. Trailing by 11 at 21-10, ISU fought back and scored seven of the last 11 points, but the early deficit was too much to overcome in the opening frame.

Second Set (18-25): The teams battled through a back-and-forth battle through the early portions of the…