Purdue & Indiana
Match 12: No. 16 Purdue	Friday, September 21, 2018 | 6 p.m. CT | Holloway Gymnasium | West Lafayette, Ind. Video: BTN Plus ($) | Audio: WDWS 1400 | Livestats
Match 13: Indiana	Sunday, September 23, 2018 | 12 p.m. CT | University Gym | Bloomington, Ind. Video: BTN Plus ($) | Audio: WDWS 1400 | Livestats
Full Match Notes	Illinois | Indiana
Statistics	Illinois | Purdue | Indiana
Series History	Purdue: Illinois leads, 45-41 | Last Match: Illinois lost, 3-0 on 10/6/2017 | Streak: Lost 2 | Results Indiana: Illinois leads, 67-17 | Last: Illinois won, 3-1, on 10/7/2017 | Streak: Won 13 | Results
Tickets	Purdue (SOLD OUT) | Indiana
Social Media	@IlliniVball  | #Illini  | Facebook  | @IlliniVBall  | YouTube

BIG TEN OPENER

The Illinois volleyball is set to open the Big Ten season on the road in the Hoosier state, facing off against No. 16 Purdue on Friday (September 21) night in West Lafayette and Indiana on Sunday (September 23) afternoon in Bloomington.

The Illini are 23-13 in Big Ten openers and have won their last five conference starters, including last season's sweep of Indiana on September 20, 2017.

Illinois owns an 11-6 record when starting off league play on the road and have also won its last five openers away from Huff Hall.

The Illini have thrice faced off against Purdue in their conference opener, defeating the Boilermakers in West Lafayette in 2016 and in Champaign in 1987 and falling to PU in 2004 in Champaign.

ILLINOIS VS. THE FIELD

The Illini own a 45-41 advantage in the all-time series with Purdue, but are 16-22 in West Lafayette. The Illini and Boilermakers met just once a season ago with Purdue taking a 3-0 decision on October 6, 2017, while the last time UI visited Holloway Gym, the visitors knocked off the then-No. 10 Boilermakers in a five-set thriller - marking the first time since 2009 the Illini came away with a win at Purdue.

The Illini hold a 67-17 all-time record against Indiana - including a 28-8 mark on the road - and have won 13-straight dating back to the 2011 season. Illinois swept both meetings a season ago, including a 3-0 win in Bloomington on September 20, 2017, before a 3-1 victory in Champaign on October 7. 

ILLINI HOLD STEADY AT NO. 8 IN AVCA POLL

For the first time since the 2015 season, Illinois moved into the top-10 of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)  Coaches Top 25 poll with a No. 8 ranking in last week's poll and hold steady with the same ranking in this week's poll, released on Monday (September 17).

The Illini spent the first six weeks of the 2015 campaign in the top-10 of the AVCA poll, including a No. 7 ranking on September 28 - the last time the Illini were in the top-10.

Illinois is joined by six other Big Ten schools ranked the AVCA Poll this week and are the fifth-highest behind No. 3 Nebraska, No. 4 Penn State, No. 6 Wisconsin, and No. 7 Minnesota, with No. 16 Purdue and No. 18 Michigan also making appearances in the rankings. Additionally, Michigan State is receiving votes.

Along with their conference foes, the Illini have faced five other opponents in the top-25 or are receiving votes, including No. 10 Creighton, No. 13 Washington, Colorado (RV), Northern Iowa (RV) and Colorado (RV).

UI opened the 2018 season with a No. 12 ranking in the AVCA Preseason poll, before sitting at No. 11 for two weeks.

POULTER, QUADE NAB BIG TEN WEEKLY HONORS

After three wins in the Illini Classic to finish the nonconference slate at a perfect 11-0, a pair of Illini garnered Big Ten conference weekly honors as Jacqueline Quade earned her first career Player of the Week accolade and Jordyn Poulter collected her third-straight Setter of the Week award. 

This marked the second-straight week that the Illini have claimed the two awards, with the Orange and Blue having earned five weekly conference honors for the season.

Quade had a strong tournament for the Illini, totaling 49 kills for a 4.90 kills per set average on a .379 hitting percentage after only committing 10 errors on 103 attacks. She added 18 digs for a 1.80 digs per set mark, as well as seven blocks, three assists and two service aces on the weekend.

The junior's weekend was highlighted by her sixth career 20-kill match after tallying a team-high 21 kills on a .356 hitting percentage and seven digs and two blocks in a 3-1 win over the No. 10 Bluejays.

Poulter continued her impressive season, tallying 117 assists for a 11.70 helpers per set mark en route to a .321 team hitting percentage in the three matches. She also chipped in 27 digs, eight blocks, eight kills and four service aces.

Poulter started off the tournament by becoming just the fourth-ever Illini players to reach 4,000 career assists as she totaled 39 helpers and five digs against UNI. She continued her weekend with 33 assists, seven digs, three blocks and two aces in a sweep of LU, before registering her 27th double-double of her career and fourth of the season against Creighton with 45 assists and 15 digs, to go along with five kills on a .444 attack clip and four blocks.

UI EARNS 34TH ANNUAL ILLINI CLASSIC TITLE

The Illinois volleyball team earned its fourth-straight Illini Classic championship with wins over Northern Iowa (3-0), Lipscomb (3-0) and No. 10 Creighton (3-1) – the fourth top-25 win of the season for the Illini – over the weekend. With the three victories, the Illini finished up their nonconference slate with a perfect 11-0 record heading into Big Ten Conference play.

HOT-HITTING ILLINI

The Illini put on a dominating performance on Saturday (September 14) afternoon in Huff Hall en route to earning their fifth-straight sweep (25-14, 25-13, 25-11) against Lipscomb on day two of the Illini Classic.

The Illini offense was on fire against the Bisons, registering a .513 team hitting percentage with only three total errors on the day – just one off the record of two set against Northeastern Illinois during the 1992 season – and had five players hitting .429 or higher in the win.

POULTER REACHES 4,000 CAREER ASSISTS MILESTONE

The quarterback of the Illini offense since she arrived on campus in 2015, senior Jordyn Poulter entered the top-five in career assists earlier this season and with 39 helpers in a win over Northern Iowa on Friday night became just the fourth-ever Illini to reach 4,000 career assists in program history.

The senior currently ranks fourth all-time with 4,082 helpers, with Barb Winsett (1987-90) sitting in third place with 4,457 career helpers. Melissa Beitz (1996-99) ranks first in program history with 5,797 assists from 1996-99.

BASTIANELLI BECOMES SECOND-EVER ILLINI WITH 600 BLOCKS

Senior Ali Bastianelli has established herself as one of the all-time blocking greats and has etched her name in the Illini record books, becoming just the second player in program history to reach 600 career total blocks after crossing that threshold with 15 stuffs at the CSU Invitational on September 7-8. 

She is just 25 blocks away from tying former player and director of operations Johannah Bangert (2007-10) for the program record of 653 total blocks. 

Bastianelli also sits in second place for career blocks assists with 575, just 38 block assists from Bangert's record of 613.