Ali Bastianelli Is A Middle Blocker And American Pro Volleyball Player
Ali Bastianelli is a former Fighting Illini All American, All Big Ten middle blocker now a professional volleyball player in the Athletes Unlimited Pro League.
Ali Bastianelli Pro Volleyball Player Team Experience and Highlights
Ali Bastianelli is a pro volleyball player who has played one season in France and for two pro seasons in Puerto Rico for the Changas team and the Atiennes team before joining the Athletes Unlimited Pro League for the 2022-23 season.
Cheer on Ali this season as she’ll be playing for The Rainbow Connection! You can find out where to watch games via Athletes Unlimited’s national broadcast schedule here!
Ranks second in the Big Ten Conference in total career blocks
Top College Volleyball Freshman
Get to know University of Illinois volleyball incoming freshman Ali Bastianelli. (Fighting Illini Athletics)
AS A FRESHMAN (2015)
All-Big Ten Freshman Team
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week
Big Ten Freshman of the Week
Top College Volleyball Sophomore
Illinois' Ali Bastianelli talks about the win over Michigan State.
AS A SOPHOMORE (2016)
AVCA Honorable Mention All-America
PrepVolleyball.com Honorable Mention All-America
AVCA All-Northeast Region
All-Big Ten
Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
Academic All-Big Ten
Illini Athletics Dike Eddleman Female Athlete of the Year Finalist
Illini Networkers' Jimmy & Jeanne Seyler Top Gun Award
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (11/21)
FloVolleyball National Player of the Week (9/27)
Billiken Invitational All-Tournament Team
NCAA leader in blocks per set (1.79) and total blocks (201)
Top College Volleyball Junior
AS A JUNIOR (2017)
AVCA All-America Third-Team
PrepVolleyball.com All-America Third-Team
AVCA All-Northeast Region
All-Big Ten
Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
Academic All-Big Ten
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (8/28)
Cardinal Classic All-Tournament Team
Bobcat Classic MVP & All-Tournament Team
Top College Volleyball Senior
AS A SENIOR (2018)
Totaled 10 kills on a .500 hitting percentage and four blocks in a win at Northwestern (11/14), becoming the first-ever Illini and third-ever B1G player to reach 700 career total blocks
Recorded a career-high 19 kills on a .417 hitting percentage to go along with a match-high seven blocks - becoming the Big Ten Conference and Illinois career block assists leader in the process vs. No. 13 Michigan (10/19).
Named to the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge All-Tournament Team after tallying 15 kills on a team-high .429 attack percentage on the weekend and adding a team-high 13 stuffs.
Posted seven stuffs to go along with nine kills on a .353 hitting percentage in a win at No. 13 Washington (9/1).
Stuffed a season-high six blocks in a win over No. 25 Colorado State (8/24).
Totaled 11 kills and only one error on 18 swings for a .556 hitting percentage and four blocks in a win at Northern Colorado (8/25).
Ali Bastianelli Pro Volleyball Player Athletes Unlimited
During the 2021 Season:
Ali Played in 12 matches
… ranked 36th in the league with 1,291 leaderboard points
… sixth in Athletes Unlimited with 24 blocks, including league-high seven rejections against Team Larson on Mar. 29
… recorded season-high seven kills against Team Larson on Mar. 8 and Team Edmond on Mar. 15
… tallied season-high five digs against Team Edmond
In Week Two with six kills
… earned season-high 230 leaderboard points on Mar. 8 against Team Larson
… also earned 190 leaderboard points after hitting .560 against Team Edmond on Mar. 7
Fun Facts About Professional Player Ali Bastianelli
Alex Holston is the
Highest-ranked signee since Kelly Murphy (2008) and the sixth top-10 Gator recruit since PrepVolleyball.com’s Senior Aces was started in 2003
Club: Metro AmericanHigh School: Sherwood
2012 PrepVolleyball.com’s No. 9 Senior Aces (ranked second among right sides and setters)
Finalist for PrepVolleyball.com’s National Junior of the Year in 2011 and National Sophomore of the Year in 2010
2011 and 2012 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year as a six-rotation hitter
Helped Sherwood High School win three consecutive Maryland 4A State Championships and win 55 straight matches from Sept. 11, 2010 to Holston’s final match in the state championship final on Nov. 19, 2012
Registered 874 kills, 418 digs, 166 aces and 149 blocks in her three years since the Warriors’ turnaround from a 9-7 team in 2009 to three-time state champions in 2010 (24-1), 2011 (19-0) and 2012 (19-0)
Boasted a .494 hitting percentage as a senior and registered a career-best 42 kills against Johnson High in a four-set match late in the season
Three-time MaxPreps/AVCA High School Player of the Week
Two-time Gazette Player of the Year2011 Metro Player of the Year and two-time First Team All-Met
Also an experienced high jumper and was the 2010 Maryland 4A State Champion in the event
Entertained offers from 47 different programs but picked Florida because of the opportunity to play for Wise and compete in the SEC*Graduated in August of 2017 with a degree in Tourism, Events & Recreation Management
More About Ali Bastianelli
No. 10 recruit in the nation according to PrepVolleyball.com's "Senior Aces" list.
2014 Under Armour First-Team All-American.
2014 PrepVolleyball.com All-American.
Three-time MVCA All-Region (2012, 2013, 2014).
2014 Class B All-State First Team; two-time Second Team honoree (2012, 2013).
Named to PrepVolleyball.com's "Soph 79" and "Top 50 Junior Recruits" lists.
Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 recruit.
A four-year player for Marysville High School under Ryan Welser.
Led the Vikings to a fourth-place finish at 2011 state championships and eighth in 2012.
2014 Marysville team captain.
2013 Marysville MVP.
2011 Marysville Most Improved Player.
A four-year member of Legacy Volleyball Club.
2014 NJC Most Valuable Player.
2014 Northcoast Power League MVP.
2012 AAU All-American.
Led Legacy to a first-place finish at AAU Nationals in 2013 and the gold medal at 2014 NJC's in Chicago.
Finished in the top seven at Junior Olympics in both 2013 and 2014.
FInished fifth at AAU Nationals in 2014.
Ali Bastianelli in the News, Interviews and Media
Ali Bastianelli (a Marysville Native) catches up with Joseph Hayes about her volleyball career that took her to the University of Illinois before now playing professionally overseas in France.
For the full story be sure to visit www.BlueWaterHealthyLiving.com
In this interview I talk with Athletes Unlimited professional volleyball player Ali Bastianelli. She played at University of Illinois in 2015-2018.
She previously played with Béziers Volley in France, and played for Changas de Naranjito in Puerto Rico for the 2020-21 season. She talks about what it is like playing for Athletes Unlimited volleyball.
Area Scouts sits down with our Volleyball National Director of Blocking and Defense, Ali Bastianelli, to discuss her journey from youth volleyball to becoming University of Illinois's all time leader in career blocks and block assists.
She also breaks down what she and Area Scouts can do to help young athletes who are trying to get better at volleyball.
A native of Michigan, Ali joins Area Scouts after a decorated career playing at the University of Illinois and professionally, both in the US and overseas.
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Morgan Hentz is a 3-time NCAA champion libero who played at Stanford and an American professional volleyball player in the Athletes Unlimited Pro League.
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