INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – In the opening match of the Bulldog Brawl, the No. 19 Illinois volleyball team overcame a slow start to take a 3-1 (19-25, 25-12, 25-17, 25-14) win over Pacific on Friday (September 20) afternoon in Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Senior Ashlyn Fleming, who transferred to Illinois (4-4) from UP following her sophomore season, turned in a team-high 12 kills on 18 swings and only committed one error for a .611 hitting percentage, while also leading the team with five blocks and two service aces.
Joining her in double figures was senior Jacqueline Quade with 12 kills and junior Megan Cooney with 11 kills on a .475 attack clip.
Redshirt-freshman Diana Brown had a strong all-around game, handing out 39 assists en route to leading the Illini to a .297 team hitting percentage – including a .444 attack clip in the second and a .438 clip in the third – while also contributing five kills on a .400 percentage, four digs and three blocks on the day.
Defensively, the Illini were dominate at the net and outblocked the Tigers (6-4), 10 to one, with freshman Rylee Hinton adding three blocks in the effort, while junior Morgan O'Brien returned to her libero position with a match-high 22 digs in the win.
After dropping the opening set of the match, the Illini came alive in the second as a 9-2 run midway through the period combined with a .444 hitting percentage gave UI the 25-12 win.
From there, the Illini controlled much of the remaining match, using a .438 attack clip in the third for a 25-17 victory, before finishing up with a 25-14 win in the fourth following a 9-1 run late in the set to wrap up the 3-1 decision.
The Illini will finish up nonconference action and play at the Bulldog Brawl on Saturday (September 21) with an 8 a.m. CT match against Loyola Marymount in Hinkle Fieldhouse.
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