Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
9-11, 3-5MVC
Wichita State
11-7, 5-3MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Southern Illinois | 20 | 18 | 21 | 0 |
Volleyball falls to Wichita state, 3-0
10/17/2014 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Saluki volleyball team (9-11, 3-5 MVC) fell in three sets to Wichita State (11-7, 5-3 MVC) on Friday at Davies Gym. Despite a close third set in which the score tied 14 times with seven lead changes, the Shockers topped SIU 25-21 to close the set and match.
Junior Taylor Pippen led the Salukis with most kills, hitting nine on 18 attempts for a .389 hitting percentage. Freshman Nellie Fredriksson led the team in hitting percentage, hitting .400, with seven kills on 15 attacks.
The Shockers took an early advantage, which they maintained through the majority of the first two sets. Offensively, the first frame was fairly close, with SIU hitting .257 and the Shockers barely edging them with a .273.
SIU's biggest downfall, however was the team's pass and service game. In the first set, Wichita State sided out at 80 percent, followed by another strong performance of 73 percent in the second and 71 in the third. SIU trailed, siding out at 63, 54 and 60 percent in each of the three frames.
"When they side out at that percentage, that means our service game probably isn't where it needs to be," head coach Justin Ingram said. "Offensively we were fine, and I think there were some good instances, but our service game was soft."
Down 2-0, the Salukis came back strong in the third frame, only allowing the Shockers as much as a two-point lead through much of the set. A block assist by sophomore McKenzie Dorris and freshman Shannon Hagen pushed SIU to take the lead, 7-6. From there, the score tied eight times with only a point separating the teams, advancing the score to 16-16.
The set took a turn in Wichita State's favor, however, as the Shockers went on a 7-2 run to take a five point lead, which they maintained through the end to take the set and match.
"I mentioned before the game that the pass and service game would determine the match. Wichita State played better over the course of time than we did. They were making kills happen easily and they have the offensive players to go ahead and do that," Ingram said.
SIU returns to Davies Gym on Saturday night to host third-ranked Missouri State. After a 3-0 sweep at Evansville, the Bears advance to 13-7, 6-2 in the MVC heading into Saturday's match. Match time is 7 p.m.
