CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In another five-set battle, the No. 6 Illinois volleyball team toughed out a 3-2 (25-22, 25-18, 21-25, 20-25, 15-8) victory over No. 19 Tennessee on Sunday (September 1) afternoon at Huff Hall.
For the second-straight match, senior Jacqueline Quade led all players with 21 kills, while classmate Ashlyn Fleming and junior Megan Cooney joined Quade in double figures with Fleming posting 12 kills on a .391 hitting percentage to go along with a match-high nine blocks, while Cooney added 10 kills. Freshman Kennedy Collins also had a strong outing with nine kills and five blocks for the Illini (2-0).
Redshirt-freshman Diana Brown registered her second-straight double-double with 42 assists and 11 digs, with junior Morgan O'Brien turning in a team-high 14 digs on the day.
In a reverse of Friday night's match, the Illini jumped out to a two-set lead on the strength of play from Quade and Fleming, but the Vols answered back to tie the match up with wins in the third and fourth frames, forcing a fifth set.
The fifth frame saw four early ties before the Illini used a 6-1 run to break a 5-5 tie and pull ahead at 11-6 following a Quade kill. Another three-unanswered scores after a Vol point set up match point at 14-7, with Collins sealing the 15-8 fifth set victory and match win on a kill just two plays later.
The Illini next head on the road to Iowa City, Iowa, for the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge next weekend, September 6-7. The Illini will do battle with No. 25 Washington on Friday and Colorado on Saturday, with first serve set for 4 p.m. CT for both matches.
For more Fighting Illini volleyball news, stay tuned to FightingIllini.com and follow @IlliniVBall on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook.
