Illinois volleyball proved it deserved the No. 9 national seed in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, defeating the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in straight sets (25-8, 25-16, 25-20) at Huff Hall.

Blocking was the key for the Fighting Illini, who had 13 team blocks compared to just four by the Panthers. The Illini defense held UW-Milwaukee to a .017 hitting percentage.

Offensively, junior Kylie McCulley led the way for the Orange and Blue. The outside hitter had 12 kills on the night while hitting .241.

Round two will pit the Illini against the University of Cincinnati, who defeated Western Kentucky (25-13, 25-19, 21-25, 18-25, 15-10) Friday.

Saturday’s match will be Illinois head coach Don Hardin’s final head coaching appearance at Huff Hall as he plans to retire at the end of the season.