Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Salukis play Evansville in final match of regular season
11/19/2014 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
| SIU at Evansville | |
| Dates | Fri., Nov. 21 // SIU at Evansville, 7 p.m. |
| Location | Evansville, Ind. - Carson Center (500) |
| Live Stats | SIU at Evansville Live Stats |
| Match Notes | Southern Illinois | Evansville |
| Season Stats | Southern Illinois | Evansville |
| Media Guide | SIU Media Guide |
| Social Media | @SIU_Volleyball  | Saluki Volleyball  |
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Salukis travel to Evansville to play in their final match of the regular season against the Evansville Purple Aces. The outcome of this weekend's matches across the Valley will determine match-ups in next week's MVC Tournament in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Scouting Evansville
The Evansville Purple Aces come into their final game of the season with a 8-21 record overall and 4-13 in the MVC. The Aces have lost nearly 10 consecutive games, interrupted by a 3-1 victory over Loyola in October. Friday will be senior Ashley Ring's final match with Evansville. Ring has 1,213 attacks this season, 43 away from UE's all-time single season record. Ring leads the team with 408 kills. Grace Carter adds to UE's offense with 709 assists, averaging 9.58 per set. Ring also leads Evansville's defense with 287 digs, averaging 2.79 per set. Kim Deprez has 231 digs on the season, averaging 4.28 per set. Meaghan Holmes also contributes to UE's defense with 103 blocks, 18 solo to rank third in the Valley. Evansville leads the MVC with 245 blocks on the season, averaging 2.38 per set.
Series History
In the Salukis' conference opener against the Purple Aces, Taylor Pippen hit 14 kills with no errors for career-high .778 hitting efficiency, leading the Salukis to a 3-1 win. SIU has come away with six straight victories over the Purple Aces, with Evansville's last victory over the Salukis in 2011. Overall, SIU leads the series record over Evansville, 38-11.
Deciding Weekend
With the final weekend of regular season play, wins and losses this weekend could determine how the Top-6 teams shake out heading into the conference tournament. SIU currently sits in sixth place, a position the Salukis have held for the majority of the second half of conference play. With a win this weekend and a little help from other teams in the conference, SIU could advance to fifth place. The MVC rank of several other Top-6 teams are uncertain, not counting the Illinois State Redbirds who have already secured the No. 1 position. Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State all have the potential to rank No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4 in the Valley. Missouri State could also fall to No. 5. Indiana State, currently ranked fifth, could finish anywhere from fourth to sixth place.
Part-Two Comeback
The Salukis entered the second half of MVC play on a three-match losing streak, but SIU has turned the momentum back in their favor. In the second half of conference play, the Salukis have gone 6-2, including big 3-2 wins over Northern Iowa and Missouri State. SIU's only losses in the second half have come against MVC leaders Illinois State and Wichita State.
Tournament Bound
After winning five of their last six matches, the Salukis have secured a spot at the 2014 MVC Tournament at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. This is the first time the Salukis have qualified for the conference tournament in three consecutive years since 1987-1989. At that time, SIU was part of the Gateway Conference, so this marks the first time in SIU history that the Salukis have made it to the MVC tournament for three straight years. In the MVC Preseason Poll, SIU was predicted to finish fifth in the conference.
Success in Springfield
For the second-straight season, the Salukis topped Missouri State on the road. This year's 3-2 victory came due to on-point serves, defensive stops and efficient hitting by the Salukis. Last year, SIU beat the Bears in Springfield for the first time since 1998, also in five sets. In last year's match, the Salukis were up 2-1, but fell in the fourth set before taking the fifth 17-15. This year, however, SIU trailed Missouri State 2-1, but took the fourth and fifth to seal the deal.
Recognizing Rivera
To close out her final season as a Saluki, senior Alex Rivera was named MVC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season and MVC Scholar Athlete of the Week last week. In the Salukis' impressive 3-2 victory over UNI, Rivera defended SIU with a career-high 34 digs. She was also efficient from behind the service line, hitting four aces. The Puerto Rico native also contributed to SIU's big 3-2 win over Missouri State last weekend with 18 digs and a service ace. Rivera leads SIU with 463 digs and is averaging 4.33 digs per set to rank fifth in the Valley. This marks the fourth time Rivera has earned MVC Defensive Player of the Week in her two-year career with the Salukis.
SIU's Swiss Army Knife
Sophomore Meg Viggars has had a strong season in every aspect of the game. She can do it all: pass, set, attack, serve, block, dig - Viggars has every tool to help the Salukis find success. This season alone, Viggars has come away with three triple-doubles coming with victories over Northern Iowa, Indiana State and SEMO. Last weekend in SIU's 3-2 victory over Missouri State, Viggars led the team with eight kills. She followed that up with a career-high hitting efficiency against Wichita State, hitting eight kills for a .700 efficiency.
Highest Ranks
Junior Taylor Pippen continues to lead SIU and the MVC with her .408 hitting percentage. Pippen also ranks No. 1 in Saluki volleyball history for highest hitting percentage in a season. Previously, Sonya Locke held the highest hitting percentage in a season, hitting .369. Locke is one of two Salukis to have their jersey retired. Now, over 30 years later, Pippen has surpassed Locke's hitting percentage, securing a spot at the top of the SIU record books. Pippen also ranks No. 17 in the nation for highest hitting efficiency. Pippen currently totals 277 kills on the season and averages 2.59 per set.
