Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
William & Mary
William & Mary tops Volleyball in five sets
09/02/2011 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 2, 2011
By Bill Ford
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois volleyball team continued its early-season string of long matches with a five-set loss to William & Mary Friday afternoon in New Orleans.
The Salukis (2-2) had more kills, digs and blocks and hit for a higher percentage, but Tulane (2-2) was slightly more consistent in a 25-21, 22-25, 25-21, 16-25, 15-8 win.
"We outdid them in every statistic, but we had we made too many unforced errors," said SIU head coach Brenda Winkeler. "Our offense was too inconsistent. We didn't pass the ball well. We just didn't pay very good volleyball tonight."
Southern's match was one of ups and downs as the Salukis dropped sets one, three and five, with wins sandwiched in between.
W&M controlled the opening set throughout as SIU struggled to score more than three points in a row. The Salukis shrugged off the slow start to open the second set with a 10-5 lead. Southern maintained a three-point cushion over the Tribe before eventually tying the match at 1-1 with the 25-22 win.
SIU started the third set with an 8-5 advantage before sharply falling off as W&M used a 7-1 run to slingshot ahead. The Tribe protected the lead through the end of the set for a four-point win and a 2-1 match advantage.
The fourth set saw SIU play some of its strongest volleyball of the season. The Salukis scored 19 points on kills in the fourth set and hit for a .378 clip to take a convincing nine-point win. Southern couldn't carry the momentum into the final set, however, as the Salukis gave up seven points on errors in the fifth set and hit -.040.
"We're just playing very inconsistently," Winkeler said. "We have times we are lights out. We hit .378 in the fourth set tonight and followed it up by hitting negative in the fifth set."
Winkeler said these peaks and valleys are a frustrating trend that has plagued the team early in the season. The Salukis have gone to five sets in three out of their four matches thus far, dropping two.
One player that has been consistent for SIU through four matches is junior outside hitter Laura Thole, who posted her third career double-double with a team-leading 17 kills and 11 digs against the Tribe.
"Thole definitely is one that steps up consistently," Winkeler said. "We have to find an answer with a couple other people to step up offensively, though, if we want to be successful."
Sophomore outside hitter Jessica Whitehead was second on the team with 13 kills while senior middle blocker Alysia Mayes finished with 12 kills, seven total blocks and a hitting percentage of .400. Junior setter Rachael Brown also had a double-double with 37 assists and 17 digs while sophomore defensive specialist Caitlin Schumacher led the team with 19 digs.
The match was part of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Classic hosted by Tulane that will be cut short due to the threat of severe weather in New Orleans. The Salukis' match with San Diego State originally scheduled for Saturday morning has been cancelled. SIU will conclude the tournament with a noon matchup Saturday against the host Green Wave.
