Volleyball to host Bradley and Northern Iowa

Oct. 20, 2005

This Week
The Salukis will be the host team for the second straight weekend, welcoming fourth-place Missouri Valley Conference teams, Bradley Friday at 7 p.m. and Northern Iowa Saturday at 7 p.m.

Last Week
The Salukis finished 1-1 during a two-match home stand over the weekend. SIU swept Drake Friday night, 30-25, 30-21, 30-19. Jene' Pulliam posted a season-best 16 kills, hitting .519 on the night, while Katy DeWulf added 10 kills in the three-game sweep. Holly Marita added 39 assists and Kristy Elswick had 11 assists, both game highs.

Saturday Southern dropped a tough five-game set with Creighton. Both teams were tied for sixth-place heading into the game, the Bluejays coming from two games down to win the match. Marissa Washington posted a career-high 18 kills, with just two errors in 27 attempts for a .405 average. Haley Hann picked up the fifth double-double of her career with 14 kills, 15 digs. Johannah Yutzy and Pulliam recorded 11 and 10 kills respectively, while Elswick tallied a career-best 32 digs, second in the league this year and fourth in SIU history. Marita picked up 51 assists to reach third all-time for career assists with 2,825.

The Braves
Bradley heads to Carbondale Friday night on a four-game losing streak. Southern Illinois leads the all-time series with Bradley 24-14 after the Braves posted a 3-1 victory against the Salukis earlier this season in Peoria, Ill. The two teams haven't split the season series since the 1997 season, with Bradley owning four series sweeps to SIU's three over the last seven years.

The Braves are led by three-time all-conference selection, Lindsey Stalzer who leads the conference in kills and points per game this season.

The Panthers
Northern Iowa will face Evansville Friday night before bringing their 12-8 record to Carbondale Saturday. The Panthers swept the Salukis in West Gym Sept. 23, making it 25 straight victories over the Salukis. The last time SIU won the match up was 1993 in Carbondale.

Panthers Danielle Brazda and Trista Humpal currently lead the MVC in blocks per game, while Stephanie May leads in service aces, just ahead of SIU's Kristy Elswick.

Salukis On The Radio
For the first time at Southern Illinois, volleyball games will be broadcast live from Davies Gym. All 11 of SIU's home games will be streamed on WIDB, SIU's only student-run radio station. Games can be heard on WIDB.net, www.siusalukis.com and via university cable channel 5 in the SIU dorms. Volleyball coverage on WIDB.net will include pre and post-game interviews with Saluki head coach Brenda Winkeler and a weekly spot on WIDB The Revolution's Wednesday evening and Saturday morning sports shows. QuickTime Player is required to listen for all webcasts.

On The World Wide Web
Media, student-athletes and fans can access the most up-to-date information pertaining to Saluki Volleyball by visiting www.siusalukis.com. Features of the site include player and coach profiles, statistics, schedules, rosters, live stats and press releases.

Salukis Look Ahead
The Salukis return five starters from last year's young team that went 9-21 overall and 6-12 in league play. SIU lost just two seniors, including libero Erica Miller and middle blocker Carrie Shephard. The Salukis return 85 percent of their offense in 2005, including team-leaders in kills (Haley Hann, 318), kills per game (Jene' Pulliam, 2.83), hitting percentage (Marissa Washington, .304), assists (Holly Marita, 1,231) and service aces (Holly Marita, 26).

Picked Eighth in Preseason Valley Coaches Poll
The Southern Illinois volleyball team was picked eighth in the 2005 Missouri Valley Conference preseason coaches poll. The Salukis had 28 points, six behind Evansville (36), who tied with SIU for seventh-place in the Valley in 2004. Defending regular season and tournament champion Wichita State was picked to repeat with 94 points and seven first-place votes.

Winkeler Takes Over At SIU
After five years as the head volleyball coach at Eastern Illinois, Brenda Winkeler took over as head coach for the Salukis in July. Winkeler became the sixth head coach in the 43-year history of Saluki volleyball. At Eastern, Winkeler posted an 82-72 record, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and share of the Ohio Valley Conference title in 2004. Winkeler takes over for 14-year head coach Sonya Locke, who resigned in the spring.

Winkeler No Stranger to Winning
Before taking the reigns at Eastern, Winkeler spent 11 years at Parkland Community College, winning three conference championships, and the 1999 NJCAA National Championship, her final season. Winkeler's junior college record was 428-164-9, making her a lock for the Division I level.

Salukis All Aces
The Salukis recorded 14 service aces in a 3-0 sweep of Indiana State Oct. 1, including four from Haley Hann and three from Kristy Elswick. The tally ranks 13th all-time at SIU and first in the MVC this season in conference play.

Washington in the Books - Again
The Salukis' lone senior, Marissa Washington, led her team in hitting percentage in 2003 and 2004. Her .295 career hitting percentage is tied for fifth all-time at SIU. Her .304 hitting percentage in 2004 ranks ninth in the Saluki record books.

Attack Percentage1.  Sonya Locke  1979-82 .3202.  Lindsey Schultz  1999-02 .3113.  Britten Follett  1999-02 .295    Marissa Washington    2002-pr.    .2955.  Laura Pier  1995-98 .290

This season, Washington's .351 percentage ranks fifth in the MVC.

Lone Senior Records Career-highs
Washington recorded a career-best 18 kills against Creighton Saturday, Oct. 15. She hit .405 in the match with just three errors in 37 attempts adding three digs and two block assists.

At the Wildcat Classic Sept. 16-17, Washington recorded a .778 hitting percentage in a sweep of Brown (3-0), tallying 15 kills, 1 error in just 18 attempts. The mark is eighth all-time at SIU and ranks first in the Valley this season.

Marita Set-tles into the Books
Junior setter Holly Marita posted 90 assists in two matches over the weekend to bring her career total to 2,825, to give her the third all-time assist mark at SIU, passing Kim Golebiewski with 2,796. Her 1, 231 assists during the 2004 season, ranks seventh-best for single season assist marks. This season, Marita averages 10.66 assists per game in conference play, ranking fourth in the Valley.

Assists1.  Debbie Barr 1996-99 50572.  Lisa Cummins    1982-85 32493.  Holly Marita    2003-pr.    28254.  Kim Golebiewski 1992-95 27965.  Martha Firnhaber    1989-91 2433

Jo Hits With League's Best
Middle blocker Johannah Yutzy has posted double-digit kills in 10 matches this season.She hit over .400 in seven of the 10 matches, averaging a .402 in the contests with 124 kills in 244 attempts and only 26 errors. Her .341 season total ranks sixth in the league.

The junior was named to the Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team Sept. 16-17. She helped her team to a 1-2 record on the weekend, highlighted by a 3-0 sweep of Brown. Yutzy was second on the team with 25 kills on the weekend including the first double-double of her career, a 12 kill, 10 dig effort, against Kentucky. She hit .274 on the weekend adding 13 digs and seven blocks.

Washington Named to Saluki Invitational All-Tournament Team
Senior middle blocker Marissa Washington was named to the 26th Saluki Invitational All-Tournament team for the second-straight year Sept. 9-10 after leading the Salukis in kills (21) and hitting (.395) percentage in two matches over the weekend. She posted 13 kills in a 3-2 loss to Missouri-Kansas City Sept. 9. She hit .522 on the night (13 kills, 1 error, 23 attacks). The following afternoon she came back post eight kills, four block assists and three digs along with a .250 hitting percentage (8 kills, 3 errors, 20 attempts). She averaged 2.62 kills, 1.00 block per game and a .395 hitting percentage over the weekend. She also added three digs and one assist on the tournament.

DeWulf Named to San Diego State Invite All-Tournament Team
Sophomore Katy DeWulf, moved from middle blocker to outside hitter this fall. The transition has been graceful for the 6-1 sophomore, who battled injury as a freshman. DeWulf is third on the team with 152 kills, averaging 2.49 kills per game. She was named to the San Diego State Invitational All-Tournament Team Sept. 2-3. She led the team in kills two of the three games. DeWulf is currently fifth on the team, hitting .144, adding 37 digs and 30 blocks in 18 matches.

Freshman Can Dig It
Libero Kristy Elswick averages 4.48 digs per game overall and 4.91 digs per game during conference play to rank in the top five in the MVC this season. She also leads the team in service aces with 26, averaging 0.42 per game to rank third. The freshman posts .949 reception percentage, with 22 errors in 429 attempts.

She has started all 18 Saluki matches this season, playing all 62 games at libero and leading the team in digs in 16 matches. In a Missouri Valley Conference contest against Creighton, Elswick posted a career-high 32 digs, second in the Valley this season and fourth in SIU history for a single match tally.

Seeing Double
Setter Holly Marita currently leads the team with 25 career double-doubles as a setter (assists, digs). Marita picked up a triple double in 2003 against Iowa (10 kills, 51 assists, 12 digs).

Junior outside hitter Ashley Saverine currently leads the team with nine career double-doubles (kills, digs), recording her last double-double in 2004 against UMKC (16 kills, 11 digs).

Marita (25) Last vs. Creighton (51 A, 11 D) Saverine (9) Last vs. UMKC (16 K, 11 D) Pulliam (8) Last at Evansville (18K, 10 D) Washington (5) Last at Bradley (10 K, 12 D) Hann (5) Last vs. Creighton (14 K, 15 D) Laird (2) Last vs. Georgetown (22 A 12 D) Yutzy (2) Last at W. Illinois (14 K, 10 D) Hinsenkamp (1) vs. Long Island (10 K, 10 D)

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