CSU Invitational
Match 6: Bowling Green	Friday, September 7, 2018 | 8:30 a.m. CT | Woodling Gymnasium | Cleveland, Ohio Audio: FightingIllini.com | Livestats
Match 7: Cleveland State	Friday, September 7, 2018 | 6 p.m. CT | Woodling Gymnasium | Cleveland, Ohio Video: WatchESPN | Radio: WDWS 1400 | Livestats
Match 8: UC Irvine	Saturday, September 8, 2018 | 10 a.m. CT | Woodling Gymnasium | Cleveland, Ohio Radio: WDWS 1400 | Livestats
Tournament Central	CSU Invitational Tournament Central
Full Match Notes	Illinois | Cleveland State
Statistics	Illinois | Bowling Green | Cleveland State | UC Irvine
Series History	Bowling Green: Illinois leads, 1-0 | Last Match: Illinois won, 3-1 on 8/24/2007 | Streak: Won 1 | Results Cleveland State: Series tied, 1-1 | Last: Illinois won, 2-1, on 9/21/1979 | Streak: Won 1 | Results UC Irvine: First Meeting
Social Media	@IlliniVball  | #Illini  | Facebook  | @IlliniVBall  | YouTube

ILLINOIS VS. THE FIELD

The Illini have played against this weekend's tournament field just a total of three matches in their history. 

UI hold a 1-0 edge in the all-time series against Bowling Green, with the only meeting between the two schools coming as a 3-1 Illini win during the 2007 season.

It has been 39 years since the Illini have faced the Vikings, with the series tied at 1-1. After CSU took the first meeting in 1978, the Illini were victories in the second meeting - coming during 1979 season.

ILLINI SWEEP BIG TEN/PAC-12 CHALLENGE

The Illini moved to 5-0 on the season after earning back-to-back top 25 wins over No. 21 Colorado and No. 13 Washington at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle en route to sweeping their matches at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge for the first time in the tournament's history. 

Junior Jacqueline Quade was named Tournament MVP after totaling totaling 31 kills for a 4.43 kills per set average on a .333 attack percentage, while also notching eight digs, seven blocks and two service aces. 

Seniors Jordyn Poulter and Ali Bastianelli joined her on the All-Tournament Team. Poulter owned a 12.14 assists per set mark for the tournament with 85 total assists to lead the Illini to a .304 hitting percentage for the two matches, while also totaling 12 digs, 11 blocks, nine kills on a .278 attack clip and an ace.

The third Illini on the All-Tournament Team, Bastianelli tallied 15 kills on a team-high .429 attack percentage on the weekend, while adding a team-high 13 stuffs.

Defensively, sophomore Morgan O'Brien totaled 26 digs for a 3.71 digs per set average in the two matches.

Freshman Taylor Kuper continued her strong play at the service line with five aces on the weekend.

POULTER NAMED BIG TEN CO-SETTER OF THE WEEK

Senior Jordyn Poulter was named the Big Ten Co-Setter of the Week after leading the Illini to an undefeated weekend at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge in Seattle, the conference announced on Tuesday (September 4).

This is the first weekly conference honor the Illini have received this season and the fourth career Setter of the Week accolade for the Aurora, Colorado native.

Poulter directed the Illini to a pair of top-25 wins, with a straight-sets victory over No. 21 Colorado on Friday, before defeating host and No. 13 ranked Washington, 3-1, on Saturday night. An All-Tournament Team honoree, Poulter owned a 12.14 assists per set average for the tournament with 85 assists to lead the team to a .304 hitting percentage for the two matches. She also added 12 digs, 11 blocks, nine kills on a .278 attack clip and an ace on the weekend.

Poulter opened the weekend by tallying 35 assists, seven digs and four blocks against the Buffs, while guiding the Illini to a .235 attack percentage. She then followed that up with a strong performance against the Huskies, leading the offense to a .356 hitting percentage – including hitting over .400 in the second and third sets – with 50 assists, while also contributing seven blocks, seven kills on a .600 attack clip and five digs. 

ILLINI GO 3-0 IN COLORADO TO OPEN 2018

For the 22nd time in program history and the third time in the last four seasons, the Illini opened the season with a perfect 3-0 record, sweeping their competition in Colorado. The Illini opened the season with a quick straight-sets win (25-15, 25-22, 25-16) over UNCW on Friday morning, before earning back-to-back five-set victories at No. 25 Colorado State (25-16, 25-14, 18-25, 25-27, 11-15) and at Northern Colorado (23-25, 25-23, 25-19, 20-25, 15-12).

Junior Jacqueline Quade paced the Illini offense with 59 kills on the weekend, to go along with 25 digs and a team-high seven aces, while junior newcomer Ashlyn Fleming led the squad with 13 blocks and senior Ali Bastianelli turned in 12 stuffs. 

Senior Jordyn Poulter directed the offense with 139 assists and also ranked second on the team with 34 digs en route to a pair of double-doubles.

Sophomore Morgan O'Brien, who took over the libero duties after the departure of former Illini standout Brandi Donnelly, was strong defensively with 60 digs for a 4.62 digs per set average. 

ILLINI STAY AT NO. 11 IN AVCA POLL

Looking to build on a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance last season, the Illinois volleyball team opened the 2018 campaign ranked No. 12 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Poll and after going undefeating during the first two weekends of play, the Illini are ranked No. 11. 

Illinois is joined by six other Big Ten schools ranked the AVCA Poll this week and are the fifth-highest behind No. 1 Minnesota, No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 5 Penn State and No. 7 Nebraska, with No. 19 Purdue and No. 20 Michigan also making appearances in the rankings. Additionally, Michigan State is receiving votes.

Along with their conference foes, the Illini have five other opponents in the top-25 or are receiving votes, including No. 12 Washington, No. 14 Creighton, No. 24 Colorado, Northern Iowa (RV) and Colorado State (RV).

POULTER REACHES 3,000 CAREER ASSISTS

The quarterback of the Illini offense since she arrived on campus in 2015, senior Jordyn Poulter entered the top 10 in career assists during the 2017 campaign and with 52 helpers in a win over Iowa on October 20, 2017 became just the eighth player to reach 3,000 assists in program history. 

She currently ranks fifth all-time with 3,859 helpers, with  former player and assistant Hillary Haen (2007-10), who owns 3,956 assists in fourth place, next in Poulter's path. Melissa Beitz (1996-99) ranks first in program history with 5,797 assists from 1996-99.

BLOCKIN' BASTIANELLI IN THE RECORD BOOKS

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 sixth player in program history to reach 500 career total blocks last season. 

She is just eight blocks away from becoming just the second player in program history to register 600 career total blocks, currently ranking in second place with 592 stuffs. Former player and director of operations Johannah Bangert owns the program record with 653 blocks from 2007-10.  

Bastianelli also entered the top 10 for career blocks assists last season and currently sits in second place with 542, while Bangert also holds the career record for block assists at 613.