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University of Illinois Athletics

2018 Volleyball Roster

Andy Wenstrand / Illinois Athletics
Craig Pessman / Illinois Athletics
Craig Pessman / Illinois Athletics
Andy Wenstrand / Illinois Athletics
Andy Wenstrand / Illinois Athletics

5 Ali Bastianelli

  • Position Middle Blocker
  • Height 6-3
  • Class Senior
  • Hometown Marysville, Mich.
  • High School Marysville

Biography

Senior - 2018

  • Senior CLASS Award Finalist & First-Team Honoree
  • AVCA All-America Third-Team
  • VolleyballMag.com All-America Second-Team
  • AVCA All-Northeast Region 
  • All-Big Ten First-Team
  • NCAA Champaign All-Region Team
  • B1G/Pac-12 Challenge All-Tournament Team
  • CoSIDA Academic All-District Second-Team
  • Academic All-Big Ten
  • Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (11/19)
  • iFund Scholar-Athlete of the Week (11/21)
  • Preseason All-Big Ten
  • Illinois Career Blocks & Block Assists Leader
  • Ranks second in the Big Ten Conference in total career blocks
  • Totaled 10 kills on a .500 hitting percentage and four blocks in a win at Northwestern (11/14), becoming the first-ever Illini and third-ever B1G player to reach 700 career total blocks.
  • Posted 12 kills on a .526 hitting percentage in a win at OSU (11/2), before totaling 10 kills on a .615 attack clip and six blocks in a win at Maryland (11/4). 
  • Turned in 10 kills on a .348 hitting percentage and five blocks in a win at No. 9 Nebraska (10/27).
  • Recorded a career-high 19 kills on a .417 hitting percentage to go along with a match-high seven blocks - becoming the Big Ten Conference and Illinois career block assists leader in the process vs. No. 13 Michigan (10/19).
  • Notched 11 kills on a .476 hitting percentage and six blocks in a win at No. 8 Wisconsin (10/13). 
  • Became the Illinois career blocks leader with five blocks in a win over Northwestern (10/6).
  • Registered 11 kills on a .412 attack clip and four blocks in a win over Iowa (9/28).
  • Posted 13 kills on a .391 hitting percentage and seven blocks at Indiana (9/23).
  •  Turned in a career-high five aces to go along with 11 kills at No. 16 Purdue (9/21).
  • Totaled 21 blocks, 18 kills on a .441 hitting percentage, six service aces and five digs at the Illini Classic.
  • Notched eight blocks in a win over Lipscomb (9/15), before stuffing a season-high nine against No. 10 Creighton (9/15).
  •  Led the Illini with 15 blocks at the CSU Invitational to go along with 21 kills on a .450 hitting percentage, including a season-high seven stuffs vs. UC Irvine (9/8).
  • Led the Illini with 15 blocks at the CSU Invitational to go along with 21 kills on a .450 hitting percentage, including a season-high seven stuffs vs. UC Irvine (9/8).
  • Named to the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge All-Tournament Team after tallying 15 kills on a team-high .429 attack percentage on the weekend and adding a team-high 13 stuffs.
  • Posted seven stuffs to go along with nine kills on a .353 hitting percentage in a win at No. 13 Washington (9/1).
  • Stuffed a season-high six blocks in a win over No. 25 Colorado State (8/24).
  • Totaled 11 kills and only one error on 18 swings for a .556 hitting percentage and four blocks in a win at Northern Colorado (8/25).

Junior - 2017

  • AVCA All-America Third-Team
  • PrepVolleyball.com All-America Third-Team
  • AVCA All-Northeast Region
  • All-Big Ten
  • Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
  • Academic All-Big Ten
  • Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (8/28)
  • Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team
  • Bobcat Classic MVP & All-Tournament Team
  • Started all 34 matches and playing in all but three sets.
  • Ranked second in the NCAA and led the Big Ten with 199 total blocks and was fourth in the nation and paced the league with 1.60 blocks per set, while also sitting 28th in the country with a .378 hitting percentage.
  • Equaled a season-high with 10 blocks in a win over Hawaii (12/1) in the NCAA First Round.
  • Turned in her seventh career double-digit block outing with a season-high 10 stuffs at Michigan (11/11).
  • Totaled 13 kills and no errors on 17 swings for a .765 hitting percentage and five blocks at No. 7 Nebraska (10/21).
  • Came within one kill of career-high with 16 kills and seven blocks in a win over Indiana (10/7).
  • Recorded sixth double-digit kill outing with 14 kills at Missouri State (9/16) to go along with nine blocks.
  • Had back-to-back double-digit kill outings in the B1G/Pac-12 Challenge, totaling 29 kills on a team-high .472 hitting percentage and 11 total blocks.  
  • Selected to the Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team after leading the Illini with a .587 (30-3-46) hitting percentage on the weekend and posted the single-highest hitting percentage in the NCAA this season with a .917 (11-0-12) mark against No. 24 Western Kentucky (9/2).
  • Named the Bobcat Classic Tournament MVP after totaling 27 kills on a .558 hitting percentage, 25 blocks and nine digs.
  • Turned in a career-high with 17 kills on 25 attacks and only two errors for a .600 hitting percentage to go along with a match-high nine stuffs against Montana State (8/26).

Sophomore - 2016

  • AVCA Honorable Mention All-America
  • PrepVolleyball.com Honorable Mention All-America
  • AVCA All-Northeast Region
  • All-Big Ten
  • Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
  • Academic All-Big Ten
  • Illini Athletics Dike Eddleman Female Athlete of the Year Finalist
  • Illini Networkers' Jimmy & Jeanne Seyler Top Gun Award
  • Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (11/21)
  • FloVolleyball National Player of the Week (9/27)
  • Billiken Invitational All-Tournament Team
  • NCAA leader in blocks per set (1.79) and total blocks (201)
  • One of three Illini to start in all 31 matches
  • Led the league with 1.79 blocks per set and 129 total blocks in conference play
  • Ranked 14th in Big Ten play with 0.24 service aces per set
  • Totaled 197 kills, 17 service aces and 30 digs
  • Led the Illini with a .326 hitting percentage
  • Had seven kills on nine swings and no errors for a team-high .778 hitting percentage against Missouri State (8/27)
  • Set a program record with 14 block assists against Stanford (9/3)
  • Reached double-digit kills for the first time this season with 10 kills against Colorado (9/4)
  • Notched back-to-back matches with seven blocks or more against Belmont (9/10) and Saint Mary’s (9/10)
  • Totaled 11 blocks in wins at No. 10 Purdue (9/21) and Maryland (10/2)
  • Served up a career-high four service aces at Maryland (10/2)
  • Equaled a career-high in back-to-back matches with 11 kills at No. 2 Wisconsin (10/8) and against Michigan State (10/12)
  • Registered her fourth double-digit block outing of the season with 10 against Northwestern (10/15)
  • Posted nine kills and eight blocks against No. 24 Purdue (10/22/16)
  • Had fourth double-digit kill outing of season with 10 kills at Iowa (10/29)
  • Totaled 16 blocks on the weekend at Michigan (11/4) and Michigan State (11/5)
  • Totaled 21 blocks, 15 kills and a .444 hitting percentage in wins over Maryland and Ohio State (11/18-19)
  • Registered her sixth double-digit block outing of the season with 12 against Ohio State (11/19)
  • Equaled a career-high with four service aces at Rutgers (11/25). 

Freshman - 2015

  • All-Big Ten Freshman Team
  • Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (11/2)
  • Big Ten Freshman of the Week (11/2)
  • Played in all 34 matches, starting all but one as a true freshman.
  • Led the Illini, ranked second in the Big Ten and 11th in the nation with 167 total blocks.
  • Led the Illini, ranked second in the conference and 21st in the NCAA with a 1.39 blocks per set average.
  • Her 151 block assists sits seventh in program history for blocks assists in a season, while her 167 total blocks rank eighth all-time for a single season.
  • Also ranked second in the B1G in league play with 110 blocks and averaging 1.5 per set.
  • Also registered 120 kills, 16 digs and three assists, while hitting .230.
  • Only had two matches where she did not post less than three blocks.
  • Had six block assists against No. 2 Stanford in the B1G/Pac-12 Challenge.
  • Recorded three solo blocks against UNLV, a career-best.
  • Notched nine blocks (1BS, 8BA) versus Michigan State.
  • Totaled seven kills on 11 swings for a .545 hitting percentage vs. Rutgers.
  • Posted eight blocks - including two solo - to go along with her second-straight seven kill outing vs. No. 10 Wisconsin.
  • Notched first career double-double with season-highs of 11 kills and 11 blocks – including a season-high 10 block assists - at Michigan on Nov. 27.
  • Had a season-high four digs against Louisville in the NCAA second round.
  • Tallied six kills and four blocks against No. 3 Minnesota in the NCAA Regional Semifinal.

High School

  • No. 10 recruit in the nation according to PrepVolleyball.com's "Senior Aces" list.
  • 2014 Under Armour First-Team All-American.
  • 2014 PrepVolleyball.com All-American.
  • Three-time MVCA All-Region (2012, 2013, 2014).
  • 2014 Class B All-State First Team; two-time Second Team honoree (2012, 2013).
  • Named to PrepVolleyball.com's "Soph 79" and "Top 50 Junior Recruits" lists.
  • Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 recruit.
  • A four-year player for Marysville High School under Ryan Welser.
  • Led the Vikings to a fourth-place finish at 2011 state championships and eighth in 2012.
  • 2014 Marysville team captain.
  • 2013 Marysville MVP.
  • 2011 Marysville Most Improved Player.
  • A four-year member of Legacy Volleyball Club.
  • 2014 NJC Most Valuable Player.
  • 2014 Northcoast Power League MVP.
  • 2012 AAU All-American.
  • Led Legacy to a first-place finish at AAU Nationals in 2013 and the gold medal at 2014 NJC's in Chicago.
  • Finished in the top seven at Junior Olympics in both 2013 and 2014.
  • FInished fifth at AAU Nationals in 2014.

Personal

  • Born Alison Bastianelli on July 24, 1997.
  • Daughter of Joan and Gregory Bastianelli.
  • The middle of three kids, has an older sister, Samantha, and younger brother, Nino.
  • Comes from a family of collegiate athletes:
    • Mother, Joan, played volleyball and basketball at Northwood University from 1985-89.
    • Father, Gregory, played football at Northwood from 1987-88.
    • Sister, Samantha, played volleyball at Oakland CC (2012-13).
    • Cousin, Kimberly Theut, played ice hockey at Ohio State (2008-13).
  • Four-time Academic All-MAC: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.
  • 3.5 Honor Roll.

Career Single-Match Highs

K: 11. 3x-last vs. Michigan State (10/12/16)
TA: 26 at Michigan (11/27/15)
Pct: 1.000 (1-0-1) vs. Miami (8/29/15)
A: 2 at Maryland (10/2/16)
SA: 4, 2x-last at Rutgers (11/25/16)
D: 4 at Louisville (12/5/15)
BS: 3 vs. UNLV (9/9/15)
BA: 14 vs. Stanford (9/3/16)
TB: 14 vs. Stanford (9/3/16)

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 5

    2015Freshman

    Middle Blocker
    6'3"
    5
  • 5

    2016Sophomore

    Middle Blocker
    6'3"
    5
  • 5

    2017Junior

    Middle Blocker
    6'3"
    5
  • 5

    2018Senior

    Middle Blocker
    6'3"
    5