Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
9-12, 3-6MVC
Missouri State
14-7, 7-2MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Southern Illinois | 19 | 23 | 19 | 0 |
Salukis drop match against Missouri State, 3-0
10/18/2014 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Salukis (9-12, 3-6 MVC) finished the weekend 0-2 after a three-set loss to No. 3 ranked Missouri State (14-7, 7-2 MVC) on Saturday.
After a tough opening loss in the first set, SIU came out strong in the second, keeping the lead for the majority of the frame. The Bears rallied back on a 7-2 run, however, taking the set 25-23 and capturing the momentum that pushed them through the final frame to win the match.
"Missouri State is a solid team. They've won a lot of matches and they have some good, young talent that came here and put it on us," head coach Justin Ingram said.
Junior Taylor Pippen finished the night hitting .500, with nine kills on 14 attempts. Freshmen Andrea Estrada and Nellie Fredriksson added eight and nine kills, respectively, but attack errors minimized their efficiency.
"I feel like we're right there in every single match. We have the physical ability to win the game, we're just falling short and it's usually because of a few errors that trigger a few in a row."
The Salukis struggled offensively in the first set, only hitting .031 compared to Missouri State's .269. The second frame was more evenly matched, though, with SIU's .143 hitting percentage barely trailing the Bears' .150.
The Salukis took an early lead, which they maintained through the majority of the set, leading MSU by as many as five points. A string of SIU errors allowed Missouri State to cut the Salukis' lead, coming back to tie the score seven times before eventually closing out the set on back to back kills.
"We had a few errors in a row - one was reception, a couple in attack and there was a breakdown in our reception," Ingram said. "That's unfortunate and it just seems to keeping happening, so we need to certainly learn so that doesn't happen."
Similar to the first set, the Salukis struggled with reception in the third, allowing MSU to keep the lead throughout the entire frame, taking the match and set, 25-19.
SIU continues its home stand next weekend as the Salukis take on Indiana State and Illinois State on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
