MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The No. 7 Illinois volleyball team dropped straight-sets (25-22, 25-19, 25-20) decision to No. 3 Minnesota on Saturday (October 12) night in Maturi Pavilion.
Sophomore Megan Cooney and junior Jacqueline Quade paced the Illini (15-3, 4-3 B1G) on the night, with Cooney registering a .368 hitting percentage.
Senior Jordyn Poulter handed out 31 assists to go longs with four digs and a block, while classmate Ali Bastianelli posted a team-high four stuffs, moving her within eight block assists of former Illini Johannah Bangert's career record.
Defensively, sophomore Morgan O'Brien posted a match-high 14 digs, while junior Caroline Welsh added seven digs in the setback.
In a back-and-forth opening set that saw 11 ties, the Illini grabbed an early two-point edge at 7-5 on a block from junior Ashlyn Fleming. After the Gophers knotted things up at 8-8, the home team would break a 13-13 tie with a 6-2 run to take a 19-15 advantage. The Illini responded with three-straight points to pull within on at 19-18, but UM continued to lead and with back-to-back kills grabbed a 23-20 edge. Back-to-back kills from redshirt-junior Beth Prince and Quade closed the deficit to 23-22, before the Gophers took the first, 25-22, on a pair of Illini hitting errors.
It was another tight start to the second with ties at every point until the Gophers took a 13-11 lead with back-to-back scores. A service ace from sophomore Kylie Bruder then tied things up at 14-14, before an 8-1 Gopher run broke a 15-15 tie and gave the home team a 23-16 advantage. The Illini answered with back-to-back points on a Fleming kill and a Bastianelli and Quade block, but it would not be enough as the Gophers grabbed a two-set advantage with a 25-19 win in the second.
The Illini had a pair of early two-point leads in the third as a Fleming kill made it 8-6 in favor of the visitors, but the Gophers tied things up as the two teams traded points until five-unanswered Gopher points broke a 12-12 tie. The Illini responded with a 5-1 run of their own – including three-straight points – to close with 18-17. The home team again sprinted ahead with four of the next five point to pull ahead at 22-18, but a pair of Cooney kills and a Bastianelli score cut the deficit to 23-20. The Gophers then closed out the 25-20 set and the 3-0 win on back-to-back Illini hitting errors.
Illinois continues its road swing with a trip to Madison, Wis., to take on No. 8 Wisconsin in the UW Fieldhouse on Saturday (October 13) at 7 p.m. CT.
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