CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Senior Michelle Strizak and freshman Jacqueline Quade each posted a match-high 15 kills and junior Brandi Donnelly came within one dig of her career-high with 25 digs, but the Fighting Illini volleyball team fell to No. 2 Minnesota, 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-20), on Saturday (Nov. 12) at Huff Hall.
With the loss, the Illini move to 14-13 on the season and 7-9 in the Big Ten, while the Gophers improve to 20-4 and 12-3 in the league.
Senior Danielle Davis registered her fifth-double-digit dig outing of the season with 11, while Strizak added eight digs on the night. Sophomore setter Jordyn Poulter turned in 37 assists and Strizak, senior Katie Stadick and sophomore Ali Bastianelli each notched two blocks.
After back-to-back Illini points opened the scoring in the match, the Gophers reeled off five-straight points en route to an early 9-5 lead. A Minnesota service error brought UI within 10-7, but a 10-5 run from the visitors pushed the edge to 20-12 following a kill from Alexis Hart. The Illini fought back to close within 22-18 after a Strizak and Stadick block, but the Gophers finished off the set with three of the final four points.
In a tighter start to the second stanza, both teams traded points as the score was tied at 10-10 before three-straight Gopher points put the visitors up 13-10. A Minnesota attacking error closed the gap to within one at 14-13, but another three-straight points from the Gophers pushed the UI deficit back to four at 17-13. From there, the two teams went back-and-forth, before a 5-2 UM run secured the second set win.
The Illini came out fighting to open the third as three-straight kills from Stadick, Strizak and Quade gave UI a quick 6-3 advantage. The Gophers came back to knot things at 10-10, before pulled ahead at 14-12 on a block. Following a Strizak kill, the visitors rattled off four-straight points to take a 18-13 lead. Down by six at 23-17, a Gopher service error followed by back-to-back Quade kills cut the lead to three at 23-20, but an Illini service error combined with a UM ace sealed the three-set win for the Gophers.
As a team, the Illini posted a .169 hitting percentage and four blocks, while the Gophers recorded a .254 clip and eight blocks. Minnesota also totaled six aces to the Illini's one in the match.
Illinois wraps up its regular-season home slate next weekend and will host Maryland on Friday (Nov. 18) and Ohio State on Saturday (Nov. 19), with both matches set to start at 7 p.m. CT. Saturday's match will serve as Senior Night as the Illini honor their seven seniors, Strizak, Stadick, Davis, Naya Crittenden, McKenna Kelsay, Allison Palmer and Katie Roustio, following the conclusion of the contest.
