#3 Volleyball takes Big Ten opener in five sets at #9 Minnesota

For the third straight time an Illinois-Minnesota match went five sets with the road team coming out on top, as the No. 3 Illini defeated No. 9 Minnesota 3-2 (20-25, 25-18, 25-22, 20-25, 15-10) at the Sports Pavilion. The Orange and Blue overcame a slow start and used a 16-4 blocking advantage to win a top-10 showdown in its Big Ten opener. Illinois remained undefeated at 12-0 with its fourth five-set win on the season while the Gophers fell to 7-3 overall.

"Our defense and block did a great job tonight," head coach Kevin Hambly said. "Our middles made the difference and Erin Johnson came up huge in the fifth set. We didn't play all that well but found a way to win. We looked pretty comfortable in a fifth set, and anytime you can get a Big Ten win on the road it is a big deal."

fightingillini.com