CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – For the third-straight match in the series, the No. 22 Fighting Illini volleyball team went five sets with No. 24 Purdue as the Boilermakers edged Illinois, 3-2 (14-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-16, 15-11) on Pink Night in Huff Hall on Saturday (Oct. 22) night.
With the setback, the Illini fall to 14-7 and 7-3 in the Big Ten Conference, while the Boilermakers improve to 13-8 and 3-7 in the league standings.
Senior Michelle Strizak led the way for the Illini with her fourth career double-double with 10 kills and a career-high 19 digs, while seniors Naya Crittenden and Katie Stadick turned in 12 kills each, with Stadick posting a .500 hitting percentage with only two errors on 20 swings.
The Illini came out firing on all cylinders and jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the opening set. Continuing to hold their four-point lead at 14-10, the Illini scored the next five of six points to grab control at 19-11, before rolling to the first set, 25-14.
The Orange and Blue momentum continued into the second stanza as the Illini led 16-12 following a kill from freshman Jacqueline Quade. The Boilermakers then mounted a comeback with a 7-3 run en route to knotting the score at 19-19. With the set tied at 20-20, Purdue knocked back-to-back kills for a 23-21 lead. The Illini closed within 23-22, but it would not be enough as the Boilers evened the match at 1-1.
Out of intermission, the two teams battled in a third set that saw 11 ties and two lead changes. With the period tied at 15-15, the Illini broke it open with five-straight points, capped by a Crittenden kill. A Boilermaker attack error then sent the Illini to the 2-1 lead with a 25-19 set win.
It was another tense set in the fourth with the two teams in a 12-12 tie midway through the stanza, before the Boilers strung together three-straight points to take a 15-12 advantage. After a Stadick kill made it 16-14, Purdue grabbed the momentum with a 6-0 run for the 22-14 lead and then finished the set to force the fifth and final period.
It was a back-and-forth start to the fifth, with the two teams entering an early 5-5 tie, but the Boilers took control with four-straight points to take a 9-5 lead. The Illini responded with back-to-back Stadick kills followed by a Purdue hitting error to close with 10-9 and forcing a PU timeout. Out of the break, the Boilers knocked two-straight kills to stop the Illini comeback, before taking the set and the match at 15-11.
As a team, the Illini posted a .221 hitting percentage and held the Boilermakers to just a .181 clip, but Purdue turned in a .320 mark to IU's .261 percentage in the decisive fifth set.
Sophomore Jordyn Poulter totaled a match-high 50 assists, six blocks and two service aces.
The Illini outblocked Purdue, 12-11, with sophomore Ali Bastianelli pacing the team with a match-high eight blocks.
Defensively, Brandi Donnelly added 15 digs in the loss.
Illinois will next open a four-match road swing next weekend, traveling to Lincoln, Neb., to face No. 1 Nebraska at 6 p.m. CT on Friday (Oct. 28), before heading to Iowa City, Iowa to take on Iowa at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday (Oct. 29).
