Press Release Courtesy of Illinois Athletics: Volleyball Heads to Michigan for Two-Match Road Swing
VOLLEYBALL HEADS TO MICHIGAN FOR TWO-MATCH ROAD SWING
Illinois set to face No. 17 Michigan on Friday night, take on No. 16 Michigan State on Saturday
| Michigan & Michigan State | |
|---|---|
| Match 24: No. 17 Michigan |
Friday, Nov. 4, 2016 | 6 p.m. CT | Ann Arbor, Mich. | Cliff Keen Arena Video: BTN Plus | Radio: WDWS 1400 | Livestats |
| Match 25: No. 16 Michigan State |
Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016 | 5:30 p.m. CT | East Lansing, Mich. | Jenison Field House Video: BTN Plus | Radio: WDWS 1400 | Livestats |
| Full Match Notes | Illinois | Michigan | Michigan State | Big Ten Conference |
| Statistics | Illinois (14-9) | Michigan (18-6) | Michigan State (19-5) |
| Series History | Michigan: Illinois leads 48-22 | Last: Michigan won, 3-1, on Nov. 27, 2015 | Streak: L1 | Results Michigan State: Illinois leads 49-25 | Last: Illinois won, 3-0, on Oct. 12, 2016 | Streak: W4 | Result |
| Tickets | Michigan | Michigan State |
| Social Media | @IlliniVball  | #Illini | Facebook  | @IlliniVBall  | YouTube 
|
ILLINI VS. THE FIELD
The Fighting Illini volleyball team wraps up its four-match road swing with a trip to the state of Michigan this weekend. Illinois will first take on No. 16 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Friday (Nov. 4), before traveling to East Lansing to face No. 16 Michigan State on Saturday (Nov. 5).
The Illini hold a 48-22 advantage in the all-time series with the Wolverines, but fell in the previous meeting between the two teams – a 3-1 setback last season on Nov. 27, 2015 in Cliff Keen Arena. The two teams did split the series a season ago, with UI taking a 3-0 sweep on Oct. 31 in Champaign.
Illinois also leads the all-time series with the Spartans, 49-25, after taking the first meeting between the two programs earlier this season – a 3-0 win in Huff Hall on Oct. 12. It was the fourth-straight win for the Illini in the series.
The Illini used a balanced attack against the Spartans as five Illini had 17 swings or more on the night. As a team, the Illini registered a .319 hitting percentage for the match, including a .419 mark in the opening set and a .357 clip in the third.
Senior Naya Crittenden paced the Illini for the second-straight match with a match-high 12 kills on 20 swings and only three errors for a .450 hitting percentage, while sophomore Ali Bastianelli turned in 11 kills on 17 attacks and only two errors for a .529 clip. Freshman Jacqueline Quade added 10 kills on 23 swings and only three errors for a .304 hitting percentage.
LAST TIME OUT
The Fighting Illini volleyball opened their four-match road swing with a pair of tough losses over the weekend, falling to No. 1 Nebraska, 3-0, on Friday, before dropping a five-set thriller at Iowa on Saturday night.
Senior Naya Crittenden turned in a match-high 11 kills against the Huskers, with classmate Michelle Strizak registering nine kills on the night. Freshman Caroline Welsh led the Illini with 12 digs.
The Illini received career performances from Strizak and Crittenden, sophomore Jordyn Poulter and redshirt-freshman Beth Prince, in the setback against the Hawkeyes.
Crittenden led all Illini hitters with a team-high 16 kills – her third-straight double-digit kill outing – on 26 attacks and only four errors for a .462 hitting percentage, while Strizak registered her fifth career double-double with 15 kills and a team-high 17 digs. Prince, who previously had a total of 15 career kills, came off the bench and made an immediate impact with a career-high 11 kills on the night. Poulter paced the Illini offense with a career-high 60 assists.
ILLINOIS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
As a team, the Illini rank in the top 25 in the NCAA in total blocks and blocks per set, with UI coming in at 13th in blocks per set with a 2.87 average. The Illini sits 25th in the nation with 244 total blocks. The Illini also rank 35th in the NCAA with a .258 hitting percentage and are 92nd in opponent hitting percentage after holding foes to a .183 mark through 23 matches.
BLOCKIN’ BASTIANELLI
Sophomore Ali Bastianelli has quickly become one of the premier blockers in the NCAA and leads the nation with 1.73 blocks per set and is third in the country with 147 total blocks on the season, just four blocks off of national leader Mackenzie Rombach of Jacksonville State.
Bastianelli is the leader in the Big Ten Conference in both blocks per set and total blocks in overall play, while also pacing the league in conference matches as well with 75 total blocks and a 1.67 blocks per set average.
THERE’S MORE TO HER THAN BLOCKS
Along with her blocking prowess, Bastianelli ranks 13th in the Big Ten and is 103rd in the NCAA with a .341 hitting percentage.
She is joined in the ranks by senior Katie Stadick, who sits 138th in the nation with a .325 hitting percentage.
POULTER DIRECTING TRAFFIC
Sophomore Jordyn Poulter has orchestrated the Illini offense to a .258 hitting percentage, while also ranking sixth in the conference and 47th in the NCAA with a 10.60 assists per set average and is also sixth in the league and 70th in the nation with 901 total assists on the season.
In Big Ten action, Poulter sits fifth with a 11.00 assists per set mark and is sixth with 495 assists.
DIGGIN’ DONNELLY
Junior libero Brandi Donnelly paces the Illini defense and ranks second in the conference in league play with 4.36 digs per set and 196 total digs and is third in all matches with a 4.26 average and is third with 362 digs on the season.
ILLINI IN B1G RANKINGS
As a team, the Illini sit second in the Big Ten in blocks per set in both overall and league play with a 2.87 and 2.76 blocks per set average, respectively. UI also ranks fifth in opponent hitting percentage (.183) in overall play and is second in conference action (.184). In Big Ten action, the Illini rank fifth with 13.40 digs per set.
Individually, senior Michelle Strizak ranks 11th with 2.89 kills per set in Big Ten action, while classmate Naya Crittenden joins her in the rankings and is 14th with 2.73 kills per set.
DONNELLY, POULTER EARN B1G WEEKLY HONORS
After leading the Illini to sweeps of then-No. 14 Michigan State and Northwestern, junior Brandi Donnelly and sophomore Jordyn Poulter were named the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player and Setter of the Week last Monday (Oct. 17).
It is the third such honor for Donnelly, who registered a 6.67 digs per set average with a team-high 40 digs on the week, while also helping the Illini to a .244 hitting percentage with her reception precision and passing. She posted a match-high 17 digs against the Spartans, before continuing that strong play into Saturday as she notched her fourth 20-dig match of the season and 24th of her career with 23 digs against Northwestern.
It is the second for Poulter, who guided the Illini offense and tallied a 13.00 assists per set average with 78 helpers in the two matches, while also adding 10 digs, nine blocks, three kills and a service ace. Poulter used a balance attack against the Spartans as five Illini had 17 swings or more on the night and posted 49 assists and four blocks in the win. She followed up that performance with 29 assists, six digs and five blocks in UI’s Saturday night win over NU.
TOP 15 WINS IN B1G PLAY
The Fighting Illini started off the Big Ten Conference season with a bang with a five-set victory over No. 10 Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. on Sept. 21, marking the first time since 2009 that Illinois has defeated Purdue in West Lafayette.
It was also the first top-10 victory for the Illini since the 2014 season, when UI defeated then- No. 10 Nebraska in five sets on Nov. 26.
The Illini added a 3-0 sweep of then-No. 14 Michigan State in Huff Hall on Oct. 12.
QUADE NAMED B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Freshman outside hitter Jacqueline earned her first Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week honor as well as the Illini’s first of the 2016 season when the league announced it on Sept. 26.
Quade totaled the second-most kills on the week for the Illini with 25 between the two matches, averaging 3.12 kills per set and posting a .246 hitting percentage, as well as four digs, three blocks and one assist.
Against the Boilermakers, Quade notched 13 kills on 33 swings and six errors for a .212 hitting percentage to go along with two blocks, two digs and an assist. She then added 12 kills on 24 attacks and five errors for a .292 hitting percentage, two blocks and a dig in the win over the Scarlet Knights.
HOME SWEET HUFF HALL
The Illini are 101-27 in front of a home crowd since the start of 2008, with their 100th win coming in a sweep of Northwestern on Oct. 15. All-but-three of those losses came to teams in the top 25, including four to the No. 1 team in the country.
Illinois ranks seventh in the nation in average crowd size with an average of 2,622 and is 11th in total attendance (23,597) in 2016. Seven of the top 10 teams in average attendance are members of the Big Ten, with Nebraska leading the nation at 8,206.
2016 SCHEDULE CONTINUES TO CHALLENGE
The Fighting Illini volleyball team consistently plays a demanding schedule year in and year out, with UI playing the most challenging schedule of any team in the NCAA in 2013, followed by the 12th-most difficult slate in 2014, including playing eight matches against teams that finished the season ranked in the top eight.
Last season was no different as the Illini played the 21st-most difficult schedule in the nation, with 10 of the final top 25 teams on its schedule, including six NCAA Regional teams, two Final Four squads and twice against 2015 National Champion, Nebraska.
The Illini continues that streak in 2016, with the Orange & Blue taking on nine teams that appear in this week’s AVCA Top 25 poll – including five in the top 15 – in No. 1 Nebraska, No. 2 Minnesota, No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 11 Penn State, No. 13 Stanford, No. 16 Michigan State, No. 17 Michigan, No. 20 Oregon and No. 22 Ohio State. Additionally, Illinois has faced three teams that are receiving votes in Purdue, Colorado and Iowa.
Between past and future oppostition, Illinois holds the 46th-toughest schedule in the NCAA and owns the 27th-toughest schedule moving forward with future foes.
ILLINOISE NIGHT 2016
On Sept. 28, the Illini held their third-straight IlliNOISE Night, where the UI Marketing and Promotions staff took a decibel meter reading during the match to try and top the previous marks set in 2014 (105 dB) and 2015 (107 dB). With the help of the over 2,900 fans including the Marching Illini, Illinois was able to set a new record with a meter reading of 112 dB in between the first and second sets.
BILLIKEN INVITATIONAL RECAP
The Fighting Illini volleyball team earned its first tournament title of the season after sweeping its way to the 2016 Billiken Invitational championship over the weekend. The Illini made quick work of all three wins, defeating both Omaha (25-16, 25-9, 25-17) and Murray State (25-20, 25-13, 25-11) in less than 70 minutes each and the host Saint Louis (25-22, 25-14, 25-21) in just over an hour and a half.
Junior Brandi Donnelly was named the tournament MVP after totaling a team-high 37 digs and provided a strong passing game to propel the Illini offense throughout the weekend, with sophomore Ali Bastianelli (18 blocks, 17 kills, .484 hitting percentage) and freshman Caroline Welsh (12 digs) also earning all-tournament honors, with the Illini honorees chosen by their teammates.
Freshman Jacqueline Quade led the Illini with 33 kills and owned a .400 hitting percentage through three matches, while senior Naya Crittenden added 25 kills and a .500 hitting percentage as well as eight blocks.
Sophomore Jordyn Poulter totaled 102 assists in the three matches, while quarterbacking the Illini offense to a .407 hitting percentage on the weekend – with the Illini twice registering hitting percentages over .450 – the two highest hitting percentages of the season, a .483 mark against Murray State and a.458 clip against Omaha. Individually, she also posted eight kills and a .462 hitting percentage as well as ranking second on the team with 15 digs, nine blocks and four service aces.
NIKE INVITATIONAL RECAP
After a slow start to the Nike Invitational that saw the Illini fall in three set to host Oregon, Illinois responded with back-to-back straight-set victories over Belmont and Saint Mary’s on Sept. 9-10. The Illini defeated Belmont, 25-9, 25-16, 25-23, with freshman Jacqueline Quade leading with nine kills and sophomore Ali Bastianelli registering nine blocks.
In the tournament finale, senior Katie Stadick led the Illini to a 25-11, 25-18, 25-18 win over Saint Mary’s with 11 kills on 15 swings and only one error for a team-high .667 hitting percentage and six blocks. Bastianelli added seven blocks in the win.
For their efforts, Quade and sophomore Jordyn Poulter were named to the Nike Invitational All-Tournament Team. Quade totaled a team-high 26 kills and 31 points in the three matches, to go along with 11 digs, eight blocks and a .298 hitting percentage. For her part, Poulter masterminded an Illini offense that hit at a .216 clip – including two matches over .300 – as well as turning in 13 digs, 12 blocks and 10 kills on a .643 hitting percentage.
KID BLOCK PARTY
Sophomore middle blocker Ali Bastianelli set a program record with 14 block assists against No. 9 Stanford on Sept. 3. The previous mark of 13 block assists was achieved on four occasions, twice by Johannah Bangert and once each by Anna Dorn and Kellie Hebeisen.
POULTER VS. THE BUFFS
Sophomore setter Jordyn Poulter turned in a career performance against Colorado in the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge with a career-high nine kills on 13 swings and no errors for a .692 hitting percentage to go along with 45 assists, seven digs and four block assists.
ILLINI CLASSIC RECAP
For the third-straight season, the Fighting Illini earned the Illini Classic title after finishing the opening weekend with a 2-1 record. Illinois posted wins over Arkansas (25-19, 25-13, 25-22) and Xavier (21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-21), before falling to Missouri State in five sets (22-25, 25-14, 22-25, 25-15, 10-15). With three teams tied with a 2-1 record, the Illini earned the title on a set-win percentage tiebreaker.
Senior middle blocker Katie Stadick was named Most Valuable Player after registering 33 kills on 60 swings for a .433 hitting percentage and 14 blocks in the three matches. Sophomore setter Jordyn Poulter and senior opposite hitter Naya Crittenden joined her on the all-tournament team. Poulter averaged 11.17 assists per set after totaling 134 on the weekend, while also turning in nine kills and a .350 hitting percentage, 17 digs and nine blocks. Crittenden posted 25 kills and a .267 hitting percentage, including a career-high 15 kills against MSU, as well as nine blocks and three digs.
STRIZAK, CRITTENDEN HIT CAREER MARKS AT ILLINI CLASSIC
The Illini had a number of players hit career-highs in the season-opening Illini Classic. Senior Michelle Strizak posted her first career double-double with 14 kills and a career-high 10 digs to go along with a career-high two assists against Xavier, while classmate Naya Crittenden turned in a career-high 15 kills against the Bears later that night.
ILLINI RANKED PRESEASON NO.14
When the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) released its preseason poll on August 10, the Fighting Illini volleyball team once again made an appearance, coming in at No. 14 in the season’s opening top-25 poll.
Illinois returned 10 letterwinners, including a majority of its starters from its 2015 NCAA Sweet 16 team, including Big Ten All-Freshman Team honorees Jordyn Poulter and Ali Bastianelli, as well as junior libero Brandi Donnelly and hard-hitting seniors Katie Stadick,Michelle Strizak and Naya Crittenden. The Illini will also welcome in the No. 22-ranked recruiting class, including a pair of Top 100 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces in Kaylin Korte and Jacqueline Quade, as well as NC State transfer Blayke Hranicka.
Illinois’ highest opening rank came on Sept. 6, 1988, when the AVCA placed the Illini at No. 2 on the first week of the season following their first-ever trip to the NCAA Semifinals.
Illinois appeared in the top 25 of the AVCA’s first poll every season from 1986 to 1994, resurfaced at No. 14 in 1999 then at No. 19 in 2002 and 2004. The Illini have been ranked in the preseason top 25 in all-but-one season under Hambly, while receiving votes in 2013, with five top-10 projections in his eight seasons. The 2016 preseason ranking marks the Illini’s 19th year beginning the schedule in the top 25.
2016 RECRUITING CLASS RANKED NO. 22
The 2016 Illinois volleyball recruiting class garnered a top-25 ranking, coming in as the No. 22 recruiting class in the nation as rated byPrepVolleyball.com.
The ranking continues the Illini recruiting success, with the 2016 class including a pair of Top 100 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces in outside hitters Kaylin Korte (No. 35) and Jacqueline Quade (No. 86), as well as defensive specialists Annika Gereau and Caroline Welsh and defensive specialist/setter Kendal Kavanaugh. Korte and Quade were both also named to Volleyball Magazine’s Fab 50 list, featuring the top seniors in the class of 2016.
Quade made a splash in her Illini debut on Aug. 26-27, registering double figure kills in all three matches at the Illini Classic, as well as securing her first career double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs against Missouri State on Saturday night. Gereau also made appearances in all three matches, recording three digs, while Welsh delivered a service ace in her first attempt to go along with four digs.
Korte came off the bench at Oregon on Sept. 9 to make her first appearance in an Illini jersey, recording two kills in the outing.
While not a part of the 2016 signing class, redshirt-freshman Beth Prince also made her Illini debut during the Illini Classic after being sidelined with an injury in 2015.
ILLINI DEBUT NEW STAFF IN 2016
It is an entirely new staff that joins head coach Kevin Hambly on the sidelines this season as assistant coaches Jason Mansfield and Erin Lindsey, director of volleyball operations Jenni Bolduc and volunteer assistant coach Austin D’Amore were hired on during the offseason. Along with the new coaching staff, Misao Tanioka joins the team as the Illini’s athletic trainer.
OPENING NIGHT SUCCESS
The Illini have had tremendous success on opening night, going 33-10 all time in the first match of the season. Illinois has lost just one season opener since 1999, starting the new millennium with a 12-match winning streak from 2000-2011, before dropping the 2012 lid-lifter at Dayton. Illinois swept Arkansas at the Illini Classic to open the 2016 campaign.
Illinois is even more successful in home openers, going 37-6 all time in the first home match of the year. The Illini have not lost a home opener in over two decades; after falling to No. 18 New Mexico on Sept. 9, 1994, the Orange and Blue have won their last 21 straight home openers. Since making the move to Huff Hall in 1990, Illinois is 26-1 in the first home match of the season.
POULTER TABBED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
Illinois sophomore setter Jordyn Poulter was named Preseason All-Big Ten, as voted on by the Big Ten coaches. It was the first preseason honor of her career. Poulter made an immediate impact for the Illini in her freshman season, starting 29 of 32 matches at the setter position and earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. She directed the Illini offense with 1,088 assists and recorded eight double-doubles on the season, highlighted by career highs of 59 assists and 21 digs vs. No. 4 Minnesota and a 34-assist, 10-dig performance in an NCAA Tournament first-round victory over Southern Illinois.
Poulter was also named to the B1G/Pac-12 All-Tournament Team and was a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week and Big Ten Setter of the Week selection. Following her breakout rookie campaign, she was selected as the Fighting Illini Newcomer of the Year.
HAMBLY’S REGIONAL RUN
Under the leadership of head coach Kevin Hambly, the Illinois volleyball program has seen a run of success in postseason play as the Illini have advanced to an NCAA Regional every season with the exception of one in his previous seven seasons at the helm. The Illini have advanced to the NCAA Regionals in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and also made run to the National Championship match in 2011.
HAMBLY PRODUCES ALL-AMERICANS
Illinois has 28 All-America honors among 17 players in school history. Nine of those players earned 16 honors with Kevin Hambly on staff. Three of the five First-Team All-Americans have come under Hambly (Laura DeBruler, Colleen Ward, Michelle Bartsch), while recent graduate Jocelynn Birks was a three-time All-American, finishing her 2015 senior campaign as an Honorable Mention selection, to go along with a 2013 Third Team honor with a Second Team award in 2014.
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