Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Illinois State (MVC Tournament)
Volleyball Advances To Semifinals Of The MVC Tourney
11/23/2002 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 23, 2002
Peoria, Ill. - Southern Illinois University broke Illinois State's 24-match winning streak against the Salukis by knocking off the Redbirds in the quarterfinals of the State Farm/Missouri Valley Conference volleyball championships Saturday morning in four games (15-30, 31-29, 30-26, 30-24). It's the first time head coach Sonya Locke has won a match against Illinois State in her 12 years at SIU.
"We had to do some very specific things and bottom line, they just decided to do it," said Locke of her team. "It was about their will to win. It doesn't matter who you're playing. We're here to win."
SIU, the number three seed, advances to the semifinals for the first time since 1998 when they defeated Evansville in four. They will face Southwest Missouri State, the number two seed, tonight at 5 p.m. in Robertson Fieldhouse.
After hitting negative .086 in the first game, SIU came back from an eight point deficit in the second game to set the tone for the remainder of the match. The Salukis held off the Redbirds in game three despite getting 12 less swings. SIU out hit ISU .345 to .244 in the third game, and held the Redbirds to a ,091 hitting percentage in game four.
Senior Kristie Kemner (OH, Quincy, Ill., Quincy Notre Dame HS) led SIU with 15 kills and 13 digs for her 58th career double-double. Libero Lisa Ciucci (junior, Portage, Mich., Portage Northern HS) also had 13 digs. Qiana Nelson (senior, OH, Kankakee, Ill., Kankakee HS) recorded 12 digs, four kills two assists, and one block assist.
Lindsey Schultz (senior, MB, Valparaiso, Ind., Wheeler HS) added eight kills, four block assists, and served three aces. Tara Cains (senior, RS, LaPorte, Ind., LaPorte HS) and freshman Marissa Washington (MB, Theordore, Ala., McGill-Toolen Catholic HS) had seven kills each. Washington had a season and career high four solo blocks. Cains added two block assists and one solo.
Setter Britten Follett (junior, Marengo, Ill., Marengo HS) dished out 35 assists. She had five kills, five digs, and two service aces.
The Redbirds close out the 2002 campaign with a 14-12 overall record and a 11-7 MVC mark. SIU posts a 22-9 overall record and a 12-6 league mark.
