Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
7-6
SEMO
4-9
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 26 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 15 | 3 |
| Southeast Missouri | 24 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 10 | 2 |
Salukis top SEMO in fifth set face-off
09/21/2014 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
SIUSalukis.com
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Salukis (7-6) pulled through to take a fifth-set victory over regional rival Southeast Missouri State (4-9) on Sunday. SIU came out strong to start the match, winning the first two frames, but fell to the Redhawks in the second two largely due to Saluki errors and SEMO's tough offense. The Salukis came back in the fifth, deciding frame, though, to outscore the Redhawks 15-9 for the win.
Junior Taylor Pippen was a dominant force for SIU's offense, hitting 22 kills on 37 attempts for a .486 hitting efficiency. Freshman Andrea Estrada added 14 kills, and sophomore Meg Viggars contributed 11 kills and 38 assists. SEMO's Andrea Baylin led both teams offensively, however, with a career-high, 27 kills.
After splitting the first four sets, the Salukis and Redhawks battled in the final frame. SIU took an early lead on a 6-2 run, but SEMO fought back to come within two points of the Salukis. After a Saluki timeout, SIU scored six of the last 8 points to seal the set and match.
"SEMO is a good, scrappy team. Credit to them for having a good game plan, but honestly that's just what SEMO does," head coach Justin Ingram said. "However we had a good rebound during the fifth set and the ability to bounce back from not scoring to being able to transition and score was pretty big.
In the first frame, freshman Nellie Fredriksson and Pippen propelled SIU's offense, finishing with .500 and .625 hitting percentages, respectively. SIU took an early lead after a five-point run, but the Redhawks responded with a seven-point run later in the set to take control. Down 19-16, SIU came off a timeout to beam two kills by Pippen and Fredriksson, followed by an ace by Viggars to tie the set. The score alternated through the final points, but two kills by Viggars ended the frame in the Salukis favor, 26-24.
"Taylor was pretty consistent the whole match for us," Ingram said. "The ability for our team to open the game and kill 19 balls in the first set, that's a lot."
SIU benefitted from several SEMO errors in the second set, allowing the Salukis to take immediate control of the frame. The Redhawks gave up 11 points on errors, compared to SIU's five. Big scoring runs for both teams made for several momentum shifts, but the Salukis finished strong on kills by Estrada and Pippen, taking the set 25-22.
"Errors always play a big part, and you want to minimize mistakes," Ingram said. "The more errors that happen, the more positive things you have to do to make up for it."
The Salukis attacked for .324 compared to the Redhawks' .295 in the third frame, but ultimately fell to SEMO, 23-25. SIU fell behind in sideout points, as SEMO sided out at 78 percent, compared to the Salukis' 72. SIU was never behind by more than three points, but SEMO punched in an ace to close the frame, 25-23.
Errors caught up with SIU in the fourth set, as they lost points on 15 faults throughout the frame. But four kills by freshman Abby Barrow helped the Salukis stay within three points of SEMO for most of the set. A final kill by the Redbirds sent the match to a fifth, deciding set after the Salukis fell 21-25 in the fourth.
SIU adjusted in the fifth set and rebounded from the previous loss. The Salukis sided out at 72 percent compared to SEMO's 50 percent. Strong serves by Meg Viggars and Alex Rivera contributed to two big point runs for the Salukis, allowing them to edge SEMO 15-9 to finish the match.
"The service game was a big deal for us. We got them on the ropes and they were not in system on many of the occasions within the fifth set and that was the difference in the match," Ingram said.
Sunday's victory at SEMO concluded SIU's non-conference schedule. The Salukis will travel to face Illinois State and Indiana State on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
"We have a lot of work to do," Ingram said. "We're going to get some work in so we can be successful at each away game or be able to exploit opponents when they come to our place."
