By Evy York, Summer Editor • Jul 8, 2026

It was a bit of a down year for Illinois in 2025 at Huff Hall after undergoing a major roster shift with nine newcomers. It ended the season with a 13-16 overall record and an 8-12 conference record, with its most notable win coming against then-No. 10 Purdue in late September. Although it finished No. 11 in the Big Ten, it was still an inconsistent year for the Illini, where they struggled to find their groove. 

Although there is less roster turnover going into the 2026 season, Illinois still has six new faces joining the program. The Illini missed out on the NCAA tournament last year, but have the chance to get back into the mix with their incoming bout of transfers and freshmen. Here are three incoming players who will likely make the biggest impact right off the bat.

Kristina Starostenko 

Compared to other conferences in the nation, the Big Ten is packed with top talent in height, athleticism, strong attacks and versatility at every position. This is what makes it one of the toughest conferences to be a part of, and Illinois certainly experienced that last season. In opponent hitting percentage, the Illini allowed their opponents to record the second-highest one in the Big Ten at 25.2%. 

When Illinois plays a conference schedule filled to the brim with players that wreak havoc at the net, including two who ended the year in the top 5 nationally in total kills, it can’t compete without matching that level of attack on the defensive side as well. That’s where incoming junior middle blocker Kristina Starostenko comes into play. 

While Starostenko doesn’t have the height that her teammates or Big Ten counterparts have at just 6 feet, she makes up for that in other areas. Head coach Chris Tamas cited how Starostenko “reads the game” as one of the reasons why the program will benefit from her addition this season. By observing the opposing offense going into an attack, Starostenko times up her blocks well, which makes up for her lack of height alongside a 9-foot-2 block reach. 

Starostenko’s experience playing against the top competition in Europe will also set her up to contribute at Illinois from the jump. In 2026, Starostenko won the French championship, the Coupe de France and the Super Cup with Volley Mulhouse Alsace. Her time playing in the top women’s volleyball division in France proves that Starostenko can not only earn her time at the highest level, but excel there as well. 

On an Illini roster that struggled to find on-court leadership with a large bout of newcomers, Starostenko is in a position where she could benefit the team, not only as an athletic attacker and skilled blocker, but also as a seasoned leader.

Lindsay Oldendorf 

After graduating one of their top middle blockers, Kayla Burbage, the Illini reloaded the position with more than just Starostenko. Tamas hit the transfer portal, and picked up graduate student middle blocker Lindsay Oldendorf from Northern Iowa. At 6-foot-3, Oldendorf gives Illinois a different look than Starostenko, providing it with versatility to use against opponents at the position. 

Last season at Northern Iowa, Oldendorf was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference second team while averaging 1.52 kills and 1.03 blocks per set. Her height  will be useful for the Illini to intimidate opponents on the other side, and Tamas complimented her ability to block at the correct spot anywhere along the net. Other than Burbage, not a single Illini averaged more than 0.95 blocks per set, so Oldendorf fills that hole, adding a stronger blocking average as well. 

As an attacker, Oldendorf isn’t as explosive as a player like Starostenko, but she still can contribute, as she hit 0.361 last season. However, blocking is where Illinois needs Oldendorf’s skillset the most this upcoming season. The Illini had 45 blocking errors compared to their opponents’ average of 35. Decreasing these errors is the first step for Illinois to limit the Big Ten’s top offensive attackers, and adding a player like Oldendorf should help do just that. 

Pairing both Oldendorf and Starostenko with junior Ashlyn Philpot gives the Illini depth at middle blocker in terms of both attacking and blocking, which they didn’t have last year. Philpot posted an impressive sophomore campaign with 224 kills and a hitting percentage of 35.7%, along with earning AVCA Midwest All-Region First Team honors. She also averaged 0.89 blocks per set. The trio of these three players should improve the weaknesses Illinois had at the position last season.

Talita Gonçalves

Illinois’ frontline isn’t the only part of its defense getting polished up for this season. With the addition of sophomore San José State transfer Talita Gonçalves, Tamas bolstered the Illini’s backcourt defense. In 2025, Illinois sat in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten in total digs with 1,479, but averaged 13.95 digs per set, which ranked No. 13 in the conference. Inexperience on the backline last season also brought about some learning curves. 

The Illini should have a deeper, more experienced rotation in the defensive specialist position with Gonçalves. In her freshman season at San José State, she averaged 3.37 digs per set, which would have placed her near the top of the Big Ten last season if she were a part of the conference. Gonçalves also recorded 10-plus digs in a match 19 times and 20-plus digs six times. With one year of collegiate experience under her belt now, Gonçalves is one to watch for a breakout sophomore season. 

Gonçalves won’t be alone to hold down the backline, though, as Illinois already has a talented defensive specialist also preparing for her second year in Champaign. Sophomore libero Taryn Kirsch took on much of the defensive responsibilities as a freshman in 2025 and excelled. Kirsch ended the year at No. 12 in the Big Ten in digs per game with 3.21. Putting these two sophomores on the backline together will hopefully help Illinois decrease its errors, as it had 163 reception errors last year. 

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