Fighting Illini Volleyball: #3 Illinois Drops Five-Set Heartbreaker to #7 Nebraska
Illini Battle to End without Pair of All-Americans
LINCOLN, Neb. - In front of nearly 12,000 fans at the Devaney Center, the No. 3 Illinois volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking five-set defeat to the No. 7 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday night in the championship match of the Ameritas Players Challenge. After rolling through the first two sets, the Illini were unable to close out the match after losing All-American Michelle Bartsch midway through the third frame when she went down with an apparent ankle injury. The Huskers then cruised in set four, forcing a decisive fifth set, which came down to the wire and ended with a 16-14 Nebraska victory.
"It was a battle tonight like we expected," head coach Kevin Hambly said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win which is all we can ask. We stayed in the match until the end, but just didn't execute down the stretch."
Illinois controlled the action in the first two stanzas, winning both sets 25-21. But with the Huskers leading 13-11 in the third set, the momentum shifted after Bartsch landed awkwardly following a block attempt at the net. The Illini's right-side hitter was leading the team with 13 kills at the time, but missed the remainder of the match due to the injury.
"It's too early to tell with Michelle, but it looks like a mild ankle sprain," Hambly said. "We will have to wait and see with her, but I liked the way we responded after losing her. We knew we had depth and had to scramble a bit, but all of our kids contributed and competed hard until the end."
With Bartsch out and senior Laura DeBruler sidelined for the entire weekend with an illness, the resilient Illini were forced to field a lineup without two of their All-Americans. The Orange and Blue stuck with the Huskers in the third set, eventually tying it at 22, but dropped the final three points after a kill and pair of blocks by Nebraska.
The Illini had no answer for the Huskers in the fourth set, falling 25-14, but came out strong in a back-and-forth fifth set. The teams switched sides with Illinois ahead 8-7, but Nebraska took four of the next six points to jump back in front 11-10. A kill by junior Colleen Ward and a pair of block assists put the Illini ahead 13-11. Nebraska then won three straight points and served for match point. A quick kill by senior Johannah Bangert evened the affair at 14 apiece, but an Illinois attack error and a block by the Huskers wrapped up the thrilling match.
"I'm proud of all our girls because they didn't back down or hang their heads," Hambly said. "Injuries happen in sports, so we have to deal with it, but we learned a lot about the fight in our team."
Illinois recorded nine more kills than Nebraska, holding a 76-67 advantage on the night, but finished the night with 15 more errors than the Huskers (34-19). Ward and freshman Jazmine Orozco tied for the match high with 20 kills while Bangert chipped in 13 from the middle. Another difference-maker in the match came on the blocking front, where the Huskers turned in 19 blocks compared to 10 from the Illini.
The Illini dropped their first match of the year, falling to 7-1 overall, while the Huskers won their seventh in a row to move to 8-1.
Up Next: Illinois is back in action next week at the Big Ten/Big EAST Challenge in Louisville, Ky. The Illini battle Cincinnati on Friday, Sept. 17 before taking on host Louisville the next day.
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