Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Salukis travel to UT-Martin to face the Skyhawks
09/15/2014 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
| at UT-Martin | |
| Date | Tues., Sept. 16, 2014 | 6 p.m. |
| Location | Martin, Tenn. | Skyhawk Fieldhouse (3,000) |
| Live Stats | SIU vs. UT-Martin Live Stats |
| Match Notes | Southern Illinois |
| Season Stats | Southern Illinois | UT-Martin |
| Social Media | @SIU_Volleyball  | Saluki Volleyball  |
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
MARTIN, Tenn. - The SIU volleyball team (4-6) heads to Martin, Tenn. on Tuesday to face UT-Martin (5-5) at Skyhawk Fieldhouse. Match-time is 6 p.m.
Scouting UT-Martin
The UT-Martin Skyhawks come off a 1-2 performance at their own tournament, the Skyhawk Invitational, last weekend. UT-Martin was swept by Drake and Valparaiso, but prevailed over Western Carolina, 3-1. Allie Whimpey leads the Skyhawks with 88 kills, averaging 2.75 kills per set with a .207 hitting percentage. Madison Bergren adds to UT-Martin's offense with 295 assists on the season, averaging 9.52 per set. Overall, the Skyhawks are hitting .208 on the season. Tuesday's matchup against SIU closes UT-Martin's four-game home stand.
Saluki Invitational Recap
The Salukis opened their season at home last weekend at the Saluki Invitational sponsored by Comfort Inn. SIU pulled out a victory over Marshall, 3-1, to advance its record to 4-6. SIU hit seven consecutive points on serves by sophomore Katie Baki to secure a 3-1 win over IPFW on Thursday. Freshman Andrea Estrada and junior Taylor Pippen dominated offensively hitting .500 and .588, respectively. The Salukis' match against Kansas State was not as successful, however, with K-State sweeping SIU 3-0. SIU rallied back from the tough loss on Saturday, though, to secure a win over Marshall's Thundering Herd. Sophomore Meg Viggars spiked a career-high 15 kills and SIU's defense held the Herd's attack to take the match in four sets. Pippen and Estrada were named to the Saluki Invitational All-Tournament team.
All-Tournament
Powerhouse Andrea Estrada was named to the Saluki Invitational All-Tournament team last weekend after, once again, proving to be a lethal weapon for SIU's offense. Estrada slammed 36 kills on 80 attacks, hitting .338 on the weekend. The freshman has stepped out in her debut season as one of SIU's top players. Along with her offensive attack, Estrada added 27 digs and five blocks at the tournament. Junior Taylor Pippen, who put on a show at the tournament, hitting .407, was also named to the All-Tournament team. Pippen was a huge factor in SIU's wins over IPFW and Marshall, adding nine blocks to help the Saluki defense. Pippen leads the Salukis with a .352 hitting attack percentage on the season.
Attack of All Trades
Sophomore Meg Viggars can do it all. Pass, set, attack, serve, block, dig - she has every tool to help the Salukis find success. At the Saluki Invitational last weekend, Viggars hit a career-high 15 kills against Marshall to help SIU win 3-1. The 6-foot England native finished the weekend with 28 kills, 76 attacks, 66 assists, 19 digs and three blocks. This year, Viggars' role as a setter has increased, making her even more vital to SIU's offensive attack. Viggars has put up 162 sets and hit 98.5 points for the Salukis this season.
Barrow's Bringing It
Freshman Abby Barrow broke out last weekend at the Saluki Invitational to contribute 24 kills to the Saluki offense. Barrow had a season-high nine kills, 24 attacks and a .250 hitting percentage in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Marshall. With higher sets, Barrow lets her jump take over to spike the ball for the SIU point. Down 21-17 in the third set against IPFW, Barrow beamed a kill to get the points rolling, which led the Salukis to seven straight points for the set win, and eventually the match. Barrow advances to 61 kills and 181 attacks on the season, putting her in fourth place on the team for most kills.
Leader of the Attack
Junior Taylor Pippen is at the forefront of a strong and young Saluki offensive attack. She ranks third in kills with 79, but Pippen is operating at a high clip. She leads SIU's roster with a .352 hitting percentage, averaging 2.14 kills per set. The success of Meg Viggars (81 kills) and freshman hitters Andrea Estrada (105), Abby Barrow (61) and Nellie Fredriksson (43) has taken some of the pressure off the veteran Pippen, who has used the distraction of additional skilled hitters to her advantage.
Hot Start for Estrada
In her debut collegiate season, redshirt freshman Andrea Estrada has quickly established herself as a central figure in Southern's offensive attack. The Bogotá, Colombia, native currently leads SIU with 105 kills (.217) and has started each match in 2014. Estrada had 24 kills through three matches at the Illini Classic to start the year and followed that up with a monster performance at Middle Tennessee State. Estrada knocked home 16 kills to lead SIU to a 3-1 victory over the Blue Raiders. Estrada was named to the Saluki Invitational All-Tournament team last weekend after 36 kills and a .338 hitting percentage over three matches.
Block Party
Sophomore McKenzie Dorris has come on strong at the net so far this season, leading SIU with 29 total blocks -- 28 block-assists and one solo block. Senior Taylor Pippen accompanies Dorris, also with 29 total blocks - 26 block-assists and three solo blocks. 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 and Pippen combined for 15 blocks during the Saluki Invitational last weekend. Freshman Nellie Fredriksson has also contributed to SIU's defense, putting up 25 blocks on the season, 23 block-assists and two solo blocks. Fredriksson had 10 blocks last weekend alone.
Strength of Underclassmen
The team returns 12 players from last season and welcomes six freshmen. Of the 18-player squad, only three are upperclassmen - Taylor Pippen, Alex Rivera and Kat Agson. The team welcomes back six starters, plus libero. Sophomore right side Meg Viggars will add to the offensive firepower for the Salukis, while sophomore Hannah Kaminsky will once again distribute the ball in the SIU offense. Both Viggars and Kaminsky were members of the MVC All-Freshman team last season. This year's freshmen are following suit and are anticipated to bring a lot of talent to this year's squad.
Justin Ingram Back for More
Justin Ingram is back for his third season as SIU's head volleyball coach. The program has excelled under Ingram's leadership with a 41-22 (.651) overall mark, including a 24-12 record in the MVC. In his first season at SIU, Ingram led the Salukis to their first 20-win campaign since 2002 and a trip to the 2013 MVC championships. He followed that up last season with yet another 20-win season, the first back-to-back 20-win seasons at Southern since 1984-85, and SIU's first trip to the MVC title game in 11 years. Ingram recently agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2017 season. The Salukis also welcome back assistant coaches Todd Nelson and Dean Torgerson.
2013 Season Review
The Salukis are coming off a 20-13 season where they advanced to the MVC championship match, but fell to Wichita State (20-25, 17-25, 18-25). This was the first time SIU played for the conference title since 2002. The 2013 season marked SIU's second straight 20-win season, both under the leadership of head coach Justin Ingram. The 2013 season was historic for Southern as SIU's first victory over UNI on Oct. 12 broke a 40-match slide against the Panthers that dated back to 1993. Less than one month later on Nov. 4 the Salukis posted their first win over Wichita State since 2001, ending a 23-match losing streak. SIU won its first MVC tournament game since 2002 by defeating Bradley in the first round.
