University of Illinois
#18 Michigan State
Illinois Sweeps #18 Michigan State
October 17, 2003 | Volleyball
Oct. 17, 2003
East Lansing, Mich. -
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The Fighting Illini volleyball team continued its fantastic play tonight, defeating No. 18 Michigan State in straight games on the Spartans?? home court by the score of 30-24, 30-25, 30-25. With tonight??s victory, Illinois extends its winning streak to three straight matches and improves to 14-3 on the season and 5-2 in the Big Ten. Michigan State meanwhile, falls to 11-6 on the year and 3-4 in the conference.
Junior right side hitter Jessica Belter put together perhaps the finest match of her collegiate career tonight in leading the Illini to victory. Belter tied her career best with a match-high 16 kills, coming on a career-high attack percentage of .737. She had just two errors on the evening, with 16 of her 19 total swings ending in kills. Along with her .737 hitting ranking as a personal best, it is also the second-highest percentage by an Illini player this year, trailing only the .938 attack percentage by Lisa Argabright vs. Manhattan on Sept. 12. Belter also had a match-high four blocks to lead the Illini in a third statistical category for the match.
Illinois continued its steady play, outhitting the Spartans .288-to-.232 for the match, highlighted by the Illini??s .414 attack percentage in game two. Serving was another key area were the Orange and Blue held an advantage. The Illini served aggressively throughout the night and tallied nine aces compared to just two for MSU. The Spartans also registered 10 service errors, compared to just six for the Illini.
Joining Belter in double figures in kills were sophomore Rachel VanMeter (13 kills) and senior Lisa Argabright (10 kills). Argabright hit .316, had three of Illinois?? nine aces and added three blocks. Junior Kathleen Bazzetta led the Illini in digs for the second match in a row with nine.
??Jess Belter had a phenomenal match and we kept Michigan State out of system with excellent serving, and I thought those were the two biggest factors tonight,?? Head Coach Don Hardin said. ??We went to Jess a lot, and she came through every time. She was a dominant player tonight, and her numbers certainly reflect that.??
Illinois is back in action Saturday night, playing at Michigan (13-5 overall, 5-2 Big Ten). Match-time is set for 6 p.m. Central Time.
