COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The No. 25 Illinois volleyball team opened its two-match road swing with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-19) sweep of Maryland in the XFINITY Center on Friday (November 22) night behind strong play from seniors Jacqueline Quade and Ashlyn Fleming.
Quade led all players with 15 kills and added 10 digs on the night en route to registering her eighth double-double of the season, while Fleming totaled eight kills on a .571 hitting percentage to go along with a team-high four blocks and three service aces. Junior Megan Cooney also tallied eight kills in the win.
Redshirt-freshman Diana Brown also posted a double-double – her team-leading 13th of the season – with 37 assists and a match-high 11 digs for the Illini (14-12, 9-8 B1G).
Sophomore Taylor Kuper also turned in a match-high three aces on the night, with classmate Mica Allison and freshman Kennedy Collins each notching three blocks in the win.
In a back-and-forth start to the match, the Terps (13-16, 5-12) broke a 10-10 tie with three-straight points, before taking an 18-13 advantage. Behind an 8-3 run, the Illini battled back to knot the score at 21-21. With the set tied at 23-23, the Illini used an UMD error and a Fleming and Quade block to take the opener, 25-23.
It was another tight start to the second with the Terps leading 14-13 midway through the period, before a Collins kill tied the score and started a 9-0 Illini run, including eight-straight points on the serve of O'Brien. The two teams then traded points as the Illini went on for the 25-19 set two win.
The Illini continued their strong play into the third with back-to-back Kuper aces giving the visitors a 15-10 edge. From there, the Illini held the lead with UMD closing within 19-17, before back-to-back UI scores stalled the rally as the Illini took the third, 25-18 and the match, 3-0.
The Illini next finish up their two-match road swing with a Sunday (November 24) meeting with Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, at 12 p.m. CT.
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