Volleyball Drops Four-Set Match at No. 14 Illinois

Saturday, August 27

Champaign, Ill.

11 a.m.

Xavier University

1-1

No. 14 Illinois

2-0

Xavier

Illinois

Volleyball Drops Four-Set Match at No. 14 Illinois

08.27.16 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

Alexis Newsome posted a .789 hitting percentage with a career-high 15 kills

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - After capturing the opening set at No. 14 Illinois, the Musketeers dropped three frames in a row to fall, 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 21-25), against the Fighting Illini on day two of the Illini Classic.

The Musketeers (1-1) return to action versus Arkansas in their final game of the tournament at 4:30 CT at Huff Hall.

MATCH NOTES

• Xavier moves to 0-2 in the all-time series against Illinois.

• Senior Abbey Bessler posted her second double-double in as many games - the 54th of her career - as the outside hitter had a match-high 19 kills to go along with 10 digs.

• Sofia Peterson added six kills, while Kristen Massa chipped in five. Meredith Klare added a match-high 15 digs, while Samantha Foti had 11.

• Mackenzi Humm had a team-high 28 assists to go along with seven digs. Fellow setter McKena Estes added 19 assists.

NEWSOME'S CAREER OUTING

• Sophomore Alexis Newsome recorded a career-high 15 kills with no errors in 19 attempts. The middle blocker posted a .789 hitting percentage that would have established a new school record, but she fell one attempt short of the statistical minimum.

• Through two matches this season, Newsome is averaging 2.78 k/s with a team-high .564 hitting percentage. She is also averaging 0.89 b/s.

SET ONE

• Xavier posted a .368 hitting percentage in the opening frame with 18 kills, including six from Alexis Newsome who hit .857.

• The first set had eight ties and two lead changes. Leading 23-19, the Musketeers got two kills from Alexis Newsome and took advantage of an Illinois error to seal the win.

SET TWO

• Xavier led by as many as seven points, 21-14, before the Fighting Illini closed the set on an 11-2 run to win the set.

• Abbey Bessler had seven kills with a .417 hitting percentage.

SET THREE

• Illinois led by as many as seven, 21-14, before Xavier used a 9-3 run to get within one. A kill from Jordyn Poulter ended the comeback to give Illinois a 2-1 match lead.

SET FOUR

• Illinois hit .320 in the set - its highest of the day - while limiting the Musketeers to their lowest hitting percentage (.118) on the afternoon.

• The Fighting Illinois broke open a 9-9 tie with a 6-1 run to take a lead they would never relinquish. Xavier got within three in the closing minutes, 24-21, but the Musketeers committed a service error to end the match as Illinois won the set, 25-21.