CLEVELAND – The No. 11 Illinois volleyball team needed just over an hour and a half to earn a straight-sets (25-18, 25-15, 25-13) win over Bowling Green in the opening match of the CSU Invitational, hosted by Cleveland State in Woodling Gymnasium.
The Illini, who improve to 6-0 on the season, were paced by sophomore Megan Cooney with a match-high 14 kills on a.462 hitting percentage to go along with three blocks. Junior Ashlyn Fleming also turned in nine kills on an impressive .643 attack clip and three blocks.
As a team, the Illini registered their highest hitting percentage of the season with a .400 mark as senior Jordyn Poulter tallied 37 assists to go along with three blocks in the win.
Senior Ali Bastianelli led all players with six blocks, while also posting seven kills on a .545 hitting percentage.
Sophomore Morgan O'Brien led the Illini defense with a match-high 16 digs, while freshman Taylor Kuper added a season-high nine digs and two service aces.
The Illini held an early lead over the Falcons (2-6) at 12-7 following a BGSU attack error, but a 5-1 run cut the UI edge to one at 13-12. Three-straight points – including an ace from junior Caroline Welsh – put the visitors up 19-14, before another ace – this time from junior Emmaline Walters - gave the Illini a 22-16 lead. Sophomore Kylie Bruder then made her first career performance in an Illini jersey, serving up an ace for set point.
After the Illini jumped out to a quick 5-2 advantage in the second, BGSU came back to knot things at 6-6. From there, the Illini held a small edge over the next several points until an 8-2 run – including four-straight points highlighted by back-to-back blocks from Bastianelli, Poulter and junior Jacqueline Quade – from the Orange and Blue pushed the lead to 21-13. The two teams then traded off points as a Cooney kill finished off the 25-15 set win.
The Illini continued to dominate in the third set as a slim 7-6 lead turned into a 13-6 edge with six-unanswered points capped by a Poulter service ace. Another 6-0 run - including five coming on the serve of Kuper – put the Illini ahead at 19-8 midway through the period. After back-to-back points from the Falcons made it 23-13, Bastianelli wrapped up the three-set victory with back-to-back kills of her own.
The Illini continue the CSU Invitational with a Friday (September 7) night match against the host Vikings at 6 p.m. CT, before wrapping the tournament with a 10 a.m. CT faceoff against UC Irvine on Saturday (September 8)
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