Talita Goncalves 'anchoring' Illini defense at libero
· Yahoo Sports
Aug. 31—CHAMPAIGN — Taryn Kirsch and Talita Goncalves were both announced as starters ahead of Sunday afternoon's match against Syracuse.
Both wore the designated blue libero jersey in contrast to the rest of their Illinois teammates in orange. No change, at least leading up to first serve, from Friday night's season opener at Huff Hall.
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An NCAA rule change ahead of the 2024 season allowed teams to suit up two liberos. Only one is permitted on the court at a time, but they can sub in and out for each other between rallies without counting against a team's total substitutions.
Chris Tamas used both Kirsch and Goncalves in the opener. Kirsch's serve-receive struggles in the reverse sweep loss to Cincinnati prompted a change. The Illinois coach said he didn't necessarily intend to play only Goncalves on Sunday afternoon, but the San Jose State transfer barely left the floor against Syracuse.
Goncalves' final stat line in Illinois' 25-17, 25-17, 25-14 victory against the Orange didn't jump off the page with five digs and eight assists. What was notable — and a difference maker for Illinois — was her steady presence in serve-receive with zero errors and her command of the court from the back row to get the Illini back to .500 after their first weekend of competition this season.
"Her touch is really good," Tamas said of Goncalves. "She reads the game well. She's identifying rotations on the floor and matchups and everything else. To have someone that's able to do that and see the game really helps, and she's anchoring down a really important position right now.
"TK has a rough match, but I'm very impressed with how she showed up the next day. She was obviously sad about how her performance went, but she took ownership of it.
"That's one of our program's pillars. The kid cares more than anyone I know."
Tamas was comfortable turning to Goncalves, though, given her experience. She played in all 29 matches for San Jose State last season before transferring to Illinois and had extensive club experience playing in Brazil for Fluminense's U21 squad from 2021-23 and Flamengo's U21 team from 2023-25.
Getting Goncalves to Champaign once she hit the transfer portal wasn't all that hard, either. She grew up in a volleyball family, with her dad, Sergio, and brothers, Lucas and Sergio, all playing. She grew up watching Illinois assistant Jen Tamas play for the U.S. national team and was entranced by Jordyn Poulter and the Illini's 2018 Final Four team.
"When I got the call and came on the visit, I already knew," Goncalves said. "(Illinois) was always kind of stuck here on the back of my heart, so I was just so excited. My mom was so happy. My brother, he went crazy.
"On my visit, I was like, 'I'm going to try to play chill a little bit.' I was just so happy. I was smiling, smiling, smiling all day. My face was hurting I was smiling so much on my visit."
Goncalves signed with Illinois on May 18, with the Rio de Janeiro native one of the final additions to the 2026 roster alongside Ukrainian middle blocker Kristina Starostenko, who signed in late June. That meant Goncalves' time with the coaching staff has been limited to preseason practice the last month.
A still-narrow window with the Illinois coaches, though, has still paid off for Goncalves.
"They give me a lot of space to be able to make my reads and make my own calls," she said. "I just feel really confident with what I can do. I feel like I do already believe in myself way more than when I first stepped in here. (The coaches) are fantastic in that job. I still have a lot to get better, of course, but I already see a lot of improvement since I got here."
The combination of Goncalves' confidence and her past experience was on display in Sunday's sweep of Syracuse. The 5-foot-7 libero kept up a running commentary from her position in the back row — part feeding her teammates strategic reminders and part building them up after good plays.
"She knows the scout like the back of her hand," Illinois outside hitter Taylor de Boer said. The 6-4 senior had 13 kills in Sunday's win, joining junior opposite Paityn Chapman (16 kills) in double figures.
"She's always in our ear reminding us of that scout, which is really helpful," De Boer continued about Goncalves. "On the flip side, she's always in our ear like, 'Yeah, you got it! Go for it!' I think she is a very good scout player, but is also that energy that we need. Sometimes in the front row, it can be a long rally and we get a little tired, but she's right behind us pushing us and giving us the energy to keep going."
That's how Goncalves has always approached playing libero. She readily admits she was the kid everyone told to "shut up" because she talked so much. When she switched positions to play libero, she decided to be "that very loud, very annoying bubble of sunshine."
"I feel like every single point I try to remember what we're going to do and what we need to do," Goncalves said. "I'm also here to be the first one to shoutout if you do a good thing. Make sure we highlight the good and keep organizing for the next point."
Tamas said Illinois' options at libero will remain the same as the season progresses. The Illini (1-1) will be back in action at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Tennessee (3-0), which is part of the Big Ten/SEC Challenge Week.
Goncalves, even through just two matches with the Illini, has shown why she can be a go-to option at the position given both her knowledge of the game and how she's executed in the early going this season.
"That's what you're looking for at that position," Tamas said. "They're on the floor for 11 out of the 12 rotations. Someone that's able to understand what's going on out there and able to help their teammates out becomes a big deal."