Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Creighton
Volleyball drops match to Creighton, 3-1
10/17/2009 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 17, 2009
By Shalae Patrick
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois volleyball team lost its fourth-straight Missouri Valley Conference match to Creighton in four sets, 24-26, 25-19, 20-25, 21-25, Saturday night in Davies Gym.
The Salukis (13-6, 3-6 MVC), were looking to bounce back from a 3-1 loss on Friday against Drake, but couldn't overcome a .211 offensive clip and 15.0 team blocks by the Bluejays (7-12, 4-5 MVC).
"This was a very important match, especially at home," Saluki head coach Brenda Winkeler. "Now at the mid-point of the conference season, we have to turn it around in the second half and get back some matches we lost at home."
Southern led the entire first set, up 20-17, until Creighton scored three straight points on a kill and two blocks to make things even. The Salukis came within match point, 24-22, but couldn't overcome four-straight kills from the Bluejays to take the match advantage, 1-0.
The Salukis pulled themselves even in the second set leading by as many as six points three times, including the final point, 25-19. After the second set, Alicia Johnson had already posted her fifth double-double of the season with 10 kills and 12 digs. The junior right side finished with a match-high 17 kills, 19 digs and two block assists, hitting .350 with just three errors in 40 attacks.
The third set saw CU jump out in the lead for the first time, opening with a 8-3 lead. The Salukis kept it close, pulling within one, 19-20, before the Bluejays went on a 5-to-1 run to win the set and take the lead 2-1.
In what turned out to be the final set, the pressure was on the Southern to push the match into a fifth set, but they couldn't overcome a match-high .279 hitting percentage from the Bluejays who recorded just three errors and 15 kills for the 3-1 victory.
Defensively, the Salukis won the battle of the digs, posting 74 to the Bluejays, 60, but couldn't overcome two solo and 26 block assists from the visiting team.
Libero Lauren Blumhorst led the Saluki defense with a match-high 24 digs, while Jennifer Berwanger added 11. Berwanger also added nine kills.
Freshman middle blocker Alysia Mayes joined Johnson in double-digit kills recording 10 to go with a match-high two solo blocks and a block assist.
"Alicia, Lauren and Alysia played very well tonight," Winkeler added. "We're just struggling right now on the outside. We didn't have a person come through and that really hurt us. Creighton is a really good blocking team, top in the conference, but still we just we were looking for another person to turn it on offensively."
Jessica Houts led the Bluejays with 15 kills, while Allie Oelke pitched in 14 kills and 15 digs. Laurel Stanford came up big at the net for CU with a match-high 11 block assists.
The Salukis travel to Southeast Missouri State Tuesday, Oct. 20, in their final non-conference and lone mid-week match of the season. SIU started the season 10-0 in non-conference play and look to build on the season start before beginning the second-half of MVC play, hosting Bradley and UNI Oct. 23-24.
