CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini volleyball took the court for the first time in 2016 for the annual Orange & Blue Scrimmage in front of 1,626 fans at Huff Hall on Saturday night (Aug. 20). The Orange squad earned a 3-1 (25-20, 25-19, 13-25, 25-20) win in the four-set exhibition.
With both teams trading players back and forth throughout the match, freshman Jacqueline Quade led the Illini with an impressive 21 kills on the night, including 15 kills and a .379 hitting percentage while playing with the Orange team.
Senior Michelle Strizak contributed 14 kills, including 12 for the winning side, while classmates Naya Crittenden and Katie Roustio each added 12 in the match. Redshirt-freshman Beth Prince also totaled 10 kills and five block assists.
Sophomore Ali Bastianelli led the way at the net with eight block assists, with Illinois recording 21 total blocks in the exhibition.
Sophomore Jordyn Poulter quarterbacked the Orange squad with 43 assists in the match, while redshirt-senior Allison Palmer had 34 helpers for the Blue team.
Defensively, junior Brandi Donnelly continued where she left off in 2015 with a team-high 17 digs, with freshman Kaylin Korte registering 10 digs and senior Danielle Davis contributing nine.
As a team, the Illini were aggressive with their serve and totaled 12 on the night. Freshman Annika Gereau paced the team with three service aces.
All six newcomers saw their first action in an Illinois jersey, with new assistants Erin Lindsey and Jason Mansfield taking the coaching reigns for each team.
The Illini officially open the 2016 season with the 33rd Annual Illini Classic on August 26-27 at Huff Hall. Illinois kicks off their campaign with a 7 p.m. CT match against Arkansas for Stuff Huff on Friday night, before taking on Xavier and Missouri State on Saturday.
For more Fighting Illini volleyball news, stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com and follow the team on Twitter @IlliniVBall or like Fighting Illini Volleyball on Facebook.
