Southern Illinoise University Athletics
SIU hosts Loyola Friday, Bradley Saturday
10/02/2014 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
| SIU vs. Loyola // SIU vs. Bradley | |
| Dates | Fri., Oct. 3 // SIU vs. Loyola, 7 p.m. Sat., Oct. 4 // SIU vs. Bradley, 3 p.m. |
| Location | Carbondale, Ill. - Davies Gym (1,250) |
| Live Stats | stats.siu.edu |
| Video | Saluki All-Access |
| Tickets | Saluki Ticket Office (877-SALUKIS) |
| Match Notes | Southern Illinois | Bradley |
| Season Stats | Southern Illinois | Loyola | Bradley |
| Media Guide | SIU Media Guide |
| Social Media | @SIU_Volleyball  | Saluki Volleyball  |
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Salukis (7-8) host Loyola (5-8) and Bradley (0-14) this weekend at Davies Gym. SIU is currently undefeated at home, and will play six of the next eight matches at home.
Scouting LoyolaThe Ramblers travel to SIU with a 5-8 record, 1-3 in the MVC. Coming off back-to-back losses to Missouri State and Wichita State at home, the Ramblers are looking to make their conference record an even split with wins over SIU and Evansville this weekend. Loyola is led by Morgan Reader, with 205 kills on the season - more than doubling any of her teammates. Caroline Holt adds to the Ramblers' offense with 521 assists, averaging 10.63 per set. Stephanie Kinane leads the defense with 155 digs this season.
Scouting Bradley
Bradley is off to a rough start this season, coming into the weekend 0-14. The team is averaging a .105 hitting percentage, led by Taylor Thiele with 139 kills. Afton Sobasky has added 383 assists this season. The Bradley defense is led by Lea Sack with 207 digs. Last weekend the Braves were swept at home by Wichita State and Missouri State. This week, the team is looking to redeem itself in matches against Evansville and SIU.
SIU has a series advantage over both Loyola and Bradley. The Salukis have only faced Loyola six times, but have come away with wins in five of the six. Last year, SIU topped the Ramblers 3-1 in both their meetings. The Salukis have had similar success against Bradley, with an overall 38-18 record against the Braves. Despite SIU's winning record against Bradley, the Salukis fell to the Braves in both regular season matches last year. SIU retaliated, though, topping the Braves 3-1 in the first round of the MVC tournament to knock the Braves out of contention.
Block Party
Sophomore McKenzie Dorris has come on strong at the net so far this season, at the front of the pack for SIU with 49 total blocks -- 47 block-assists and two solo blocks. Last weekend Dorris helped the Salukis push to a fifth set against Indiana State with five blocks - four block assists, one solo. Dorris posted a career-high eight blocks at Middle Tennessee State to help push the Salukis to a 3-1 victory over the Blue Raiders. Dorris has appeared in 13 of SIU's 15 matches in 2014, already topping the seven matches she played as a freshman in 2013. She currently leads the MVC, averaging 1.17 blocks per set.
She doesn't get easily rattled. She doesn't get worked up. You rarely see an outburst of emotion. Yet junior Taylor Pippen is one of the most powerful players on the Salukis' squad. The 5-11 hitter is among the top in the MVC, as she's ranked No. 2 for hitting effiency with a .391 hitting percentage. Pippen had one of the best weeks of her career in mid-September, hitting a career-high .778 against Evansville and leading the Salukis to a fifth set victory over SEMO with 22 kills for a .486 hitting efficiency, the ninth-highest hitting percentage in Saluki history. Last weekend Pippen finished with 19 kills, 12 against Indiana State alone. She also added six blocks and 22 points overall. Pippen leads the Salukis with highest attack percentage and most blocks, totaling 50 on the season, four solo.
Back Row Bravado
Senior Alex Rivera has been a staple and driving force for SIU's defense. Rivera leads the Salukis with 225 blocks on the season, averaging 3.88 per set. As one of the team's only upperclassmen, Rivera is a constant voice of encouragement, instruction and motivation for the squad. Last week, Rivera finished the five-set match against Indiana State with a season-high 26 digs. Her back-row strength helped the Salukis stave off the Sycamores until the fifth set, tying the match 44 times with 21 lead changes. Rivera finished the weekend with 44 digs total.
Newcomer Nellie Fredriksson has emerged as a key player on both SIU's offense and defense in the last week. Fredriksson currently sits at third in blocks for SIU, with 42 on the season, two solo. Last week in a close, five-set match at Indiana State, Fredrikkson beamed nine kills with a .308 hitting percentage, and added six blocks. Offensively, Fredriksson hit .368 against Southeast Missouri State, adding 10 points to the Salukis' 3-2 victory. She finished the match killing eight balls on 19 attempts, her highest number of attempts this season. So far in her freshman season, Fredriksson has played in every set, averaging 1.26 kills and .72 blocks per frame.
Similar Start Last year the Salukis advanced to the MVC Championship match to close out the season, but SIU had a similar start last season as they've seen this year. So far this season, SIU sits at 7-8, 1-2 in the MVC. Last year the Salukis were 6-9 heading into October, with a split 2-2 record in the MVC. SIU rallied back, though, and finished out the season 11-3, with losses only to Wichita State, Bradley and Missouri State.
Bringing it Home After a month filled with road trips and tournaments across the region, the Salukis return home to Davies Gym for six of the team's nine matches this month. SIU won its first match in Davies Gym this season, 3-1 over Evansville. Last year the Salukis went 7-2 in conference play at home for its second straight season with seven conference wins in Davies.
