CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – On Thursday, Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman addressed a range of topics concerning Illini sports during his annual media roundtable, with volleyball being a key area of focus.
The Illini volleyball team concluded the 2025 season with a 13-16 record, marking their first sub-.500 season since 2012, not counting the shortened 2020 season due to COVID-19. They ended their conference play with an 8-12 record and did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the past five years.
“Our expectations are high,” Whitman remarked regarding the volleyball program. “We hope to elevate the program to new heights.”
Whitman also made a point to recognize another crucial factor.
“We must also recognize that we are competing in the most formidable volleyball conference that has ever existed,” he noted.
Illinois rattled off a five game winning streak in conference play in 2025, but followed it up with six-straight losses.
Whitman says finding more consistent success takes everyone, including himself.
“Our obligation, [head coach Chris Tamas’] expectation is that we’d perform better,” Whitman said. “We have an obligation as an administration to be supportive and be part of the problem solving process for these coaches. Is volleyball performing at the level that we’d like to? No. Are there a lot of reasons for that? Yes.”
Tamas’ tenure in Champaign, since taking over the reigns of the program in 2017, has certainly not been without big wins. He has led the Illini to five NCAA tournament appearances, headlined by a trip to the Final Four in 2018.