CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With the entire Marching Illini Band in attendance, the Illinois volleyball program set a new IllINOISE Night sound record, but was unable to overcome No. 18 Purdue, falling 3-0 on Friday (October 6) night at Huff Hall.
The Illini marketing and promotions staff took a sound reading between first and second sets, with the mark hitting 116 dB tonight in Huff Hall and besting last season's record of 112 dB.
Sophomore Jacqueline Quade and redshirt-sophomore Beth Prince led the Illini (12-4, 3-2) with 10 kills each, while senior Brandi Donnelly paced the defense with a team-high 11 digs. Sophomore Annika Gereau joined the senior in double figures with 10 digs as well.
Junior Jordyn Poulter registered 30 assists, while also adding eight digs and a team-high four blocks on the night. Classmate Ali Bastianelli also contributed three blocks in the setback.
After a back-and-forth start to the match, the Illini jumped out to a 10-6 lead on back-to-back Boilermaker errors and a block from Bastianelli and Poulter. The Illini continued to lead at 12-9, but Purdue (14-2, 4-1) used a 6-1 run – including a pair of aces and a block - to pull ahead at 15-13. Out of a TV timeout, UI responded with back-to-back kills from junior Blayke Hranicka and Prince to knot the score at 15-15, but again the Boilermakers sprinted ahead to 18-15. Down three at 21-18, the Illini rallied to even things up at 23-23 after a Purdue hitting error, but the visitors answered back with back-to-back points to take the opener, 25-23.
It was a side-out beginning that saw six ties to open the second set, before the Boilermakers, who were leading at 13-12, used an 8-2 run to grab a 21-14 edge. A service ace from freshman Morgan O'Brien closed the gap to 23-17 and a kill from classmate Megan Cooney fought off the first PU set point, but a Boilermaker kill then finished the second, 25-19, as Purdue went into intermission with a 2-0 lead in the match.
Out of the break, the Illini took an early 4-1 advantage on a service ace from sophomore Jacqueline Quade, but the Boilermakers fought back to even things up. With the score knotted at 12-12 midway through the set, the visitors put together a 7-2 run – including three-straight points to end the run – to take a 20-15 edge. After a Boilermaker attack error made it 21-18, the Illini looked to close the deficit to two at 21-19, but Purdue head coach Dave Shondell challenged the call and it was overturned to give the Boilermakers a 22-18 advantage. A Prince kill again brought the Illini within 22-19, but three-straight PU points sealed the three-set defeat for the Illini.
The Illini continue their four-match homestand against Indiana for Season Ticket Holders' Bring a Friend Night on Saturday (October 7) at 7 p.m. CT in Huff Hall.
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