EUGENE, Ore. – The No. 21 Fighting Illini volleyball team returned to the win column Saturday (Sept. 10) morning with a 3-0 (25-9, 25-16, 25-23) sweep of Belmont in the two teams' first-ever meeting at the Nike Invitational in Matthew Knight Arena on the campus of the University of Oregon.
Sophomore Ali Bastianelli led the Illini with nine blocks to go along with five kills on seven attacks and no errors for a .714 hitting percentage, while freshman Jacqueline Quade totaled a team-high nine kills and a .389 hitting percentage as well as five digs and three blocks.
"I thought Ali B. was a good choice [as player of the match on the Illini audio broadcast] because she got us going blocking-wise and that put a lot of pressure on them," said head coach Kevin Hambly. "They [Belmont] were struggling to find any offense and she had seven blocks in that first set and that just disrupted their whole offense. I thought she set a good tone for us defensively. We sided-out at a high rate; I don't know if we played particularly well offensively, but defensively we were committed to being pretty good and that made a big difference."
After a service ace from freshman Caroline Welsh started the match off, the Illini (3-4) jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead capped by a block from senior Naya Crittenden and Bastianelli. The Bruins (6-3) closed within 7-4, but six-straight points from the Illini pushed the advantage to 13-4. Back-to-back blocks made it 15-5, before the finished off the first with a 10-4 run.
It was another fast start for the Illini in the second at 4-1, but after a no touch call on a Belmont kill was overturned, the Bruins cut the score to 9-8. The Illini then responded by taking the next five points to build a 14-8 lead after a Quade kill. The two teams traded points over the next several plays, before a Crittenden kill pushed the lead to 21-13 and forcing a Bruin timeout. Bastianelli then ended the second set in favor of the Illini with a kill following a BU overpass.
Following intermission, the Bruins came out fighting and took their first lead in a set at 4-2 to open the third. The Illini then put together five-unanswered points to retake the lead at 7-4. The Orange and Blue continued to gain space between them and the Bruins, only to find Belmont fight their way back into the set. With the Illini holding a 20-16 advantage late in the set, the Bruins used a 6-1 run to take a 22-21 lead. With the score knotted at 23-23, freshman Caroline Welsh served up an ace, followed by a Quade kill to earn the straight-set Illini victory.
As a team, the Illini posted a .328 hitting percentage – including a .455 mark in the second set. UI was dominated on the block with 12 stuffs in the match, while holding Belmont to just three blocks. The Illini also outdug the Bruins, 33-21, in the win.
Crittenden added seven kills on 12 swings and only two errors for a .417 hitting percentage.
Sophomore setter Jordyn Poulter turned in a team-high 24 assists and six blocks, while junior libero Brandi Donnelly led the team with 15 digs.
Illinois wraps up play at the Nike Invitational in its finale match against Saint Mary's later tonight at 8 p.m. CT in Matthew Knight Arena.
