Ali Bastianelli

Personal: Hailing from an athletic family, Bastianelli's mother, Joan, played volleyball and basketball at Northwood University, while her father, Gregory, played football at the same university. Her sister, Sam, played volleyball at Oakland Community College, and her cousin, Kim, competed in ice hockey at Ohio State. Her brother, Nino, wrestled at Brown University from 2017 to 2021. Bastianelli herself is a black belt in karate and has ventured into coaching as a volunteer assistant coach at Michigan during the 2021 season. Beyond her athletic pursuits, she enjoys reading, going to the movies, trying new recipes, and has a four-year-old rescue dog named Phoebe.

2023 Season: Bastianelli participated in the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Exhibition Tour.

2022 Season: Bastianelli showcased her prowess in 44 sets over 15 matches, earning an impressive 2,045 leaderboard points. She equaled the AU single-season record with a league-leading 33 blocks. Her skills were not limited to blocking; she also ranked fourth in the league with 12 service aces. Bastianelli reached a career high with three aces in the Week One finale against Team De La Cruz on March 19. An outstanding milestone in her career came when she became the first athlete in league history with 50 career blocks, notching a pair of rejections in the Week Four opener against Team De La Cruz. By the end of the season, she had accumulated a total of 57 career blocks, setting a league record. Her contributions extended beyond blocking, as she secured 47 kills and 18 digs during the season. Bastianelli's best performance came with a season-high nine kills at the beginning of Week Four against Team De La Cruz, coupled with a .438 hitting percentage. She wrapped up Week Four with back-to-back matches, amassing over 200 leaderboard points. She reached a season high with 233 points against Team Drews on April 8, followed by 230 points against Team Valentin-Anderson the next night. She also set a season high with six blocks against Team Lowe on April 1, marking her third career match with five or more rejections. Furthermore, she registered five blocks on March 23 to commence Week Two against Team De La Cruz. Bastianelli made a strong season debut against Team Lowe with eight kills and three blocks, adding three digs.

2021 Season: In the 2021 season, Bastianelli played in 12 matches and ranked 36th in the league with 1,291 leaderboard points. She secured 24 blocks, including a league-high seven rejections against Team Larson on March 29. She also recorded a season-high seven kills against Team Larson on March 8 and Team Edmond on March 15. Her versatility was on display as she tallied a season-high five digs against Team Edmond in Week Two, accompanied by six kills. Her impressive performance was further highlighted when she earned a season-high 230 leaderboard points on March 8 against Team Larson and 190 leaderboard points after hitting .560 against Team Edmond on March 7.

Other Professional Experience: Bastianelli's professional journey includes playing for Atenienses de Manati in Puerto Rico during the 2021-22 campaign and competing for Béziers Volley in France. She has also played for Changas de Naranjito in Puerto Rico during the 2020-21 season.

International Experience: Bastianelli was a member of the United States team that secured a Silver medal at the 2022 Pan American Cup Final Six. She shared the court with fellow Athletes Unlimited Volleyball athletes Kendall White, Alli Linnehan, and Nia Reed, as well as former Athletes Unlimited players Dani Drews, Hana Lishman, Tori Dilfer, and Ronika Stone. She also represented Team USA at the 2021 Pan American Cup alongside current Athletes Unlimited players Lindsay Stalzer, Taylor Bruns Tegenrot, and Shelly Fanning. Additionally, she played a pivotal role in helping the United States secure fourth place at the 2021 NORCECA Continental Championship.

At Illinois: Bastianelli was a three-time AVCA All-America selection and received Third-Team honors in 2017 and 2018. She also earned All-America commendations from Volleyball Magazine. Bastianelli's excellence extended to the academic realm, as she claimed three All-Big Ten Academic awards. She played a pivotal role in her team's success, contributing to three All-Big Ten titles. Her remarkable career at Illinois included numerous achievements, such as ranking 10th in school history with a .334 career hitting percentage, making her the Fighting Illini's career leader with 685 block assists and 750 total blocks. She also holds the record for the most block assists and total blocks in the program's history. Bastianelli appeared in 135 career matches and played 135 career sets, amassing 597 kills. She particularly excelled in her sophomore year, recording 189 kills and 131 blocks. Her achievements earned her recognition as a finalist for the 2018 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and a Second-Team CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in her senior year. Her commitment to academics was further highlighted by her three-time selection as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and receiving the 2018-19 Big Ten Medal of Honor.