B1G RELEASE
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois volleyball senior Jacqueline Quade was named a unanimous Preseason All-Big Ten honoree as voted on by the Big Ten Conference coaches, with the No. 6 Illini picked to finish fifth in the league standings for the second-straight season, the conference announced on Monday (August 26).
It is the first such honor for Quade, who collected American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) First-Team All-America honors as well as unanimous All-Big Ten First-Team accolades in a breakout junior campaign.
In her first year as a six-rotation player a season ago, Quade paced the Illini offense with a 4.24 kills per set mark on a .265 hitting percentage, while totaling 625 points on the season to rank sixth in the nation for a 4.73 points per set average. The MVP of the 2018 B1G/Pac-12 Challenge, Quade also registered 254 digs, 63 blocks and 32 service aces on the season. She owned nine double-doubles on the season, as well as registered 10 20-kill matches.
Quade was also named to the NCAA National Championship All-Tournament Team after leading the Illini with 28 kills on a .237 hitting percentage – just one kill off her career-high – and 13 digs in the team's National Semifinal match against Nebraska at the NCAA Final Four last December.
Wisconsin was chosen as the conference favorite for the 2019 volleyball season as voted on by the Big Ten coaches, while Nebraska was picked to finish second and Minnesota was tabbed third. Penn State and the Illini round out the top five in the preseason poll in fourth and fifth, respectively.
The Illini are set to open the 2019 season in Knoxville, Tenn., on Friday, August 30 against No. 19 Tennessee in Thompson-Boling Arena at 7 p.m. CT, before hosting the Vols in the home opener on Sunday, September 1 in Huff Hall at 1 p.m. CT.
2019 PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL TEAM
JACQUELINE QUADE, SR., OH, ILLINOIS
Erika Pritchard, Jr., OH, Maryland
Alexis Hart, Sr., OH, Minnesota
Taylor Morgan, Sr., MB, Minnesota
Stephanie Samedy, Jr., OPP, Minnesota
Nicklin Hames, So., S, Nebraska
Lauren Stivrins, Jr., MB, Nebraska
Lexi Sun, Jr., OH, Nebraska
Kaitlyn Hord, So., MB, Penn State
Jonni Parker, So., RS, Penn State
KENDALL WHITE, Sr., DS, PENN STATE
Blake Mohler, Sr., MB, Purdue
Sydney Hilley, Jr., S, Wisconsin
DANA RETTKE, Jr., MB, WISCONSIN
UNANIMOUS SELECTIONS IN CAPS
2019 BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
1. Wisconsin
2. Nebraska
3. Minnesota
4. Penn State
5. Illinois
6. Purdue
7. Michigan
8. Ohio State
9. Michigan State
10. Maryland
11. Indiana
12. Northwestern
13. Iowa
14. Rutgers
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