Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Volleyball travels to Illinois State, Indiana State this weekend
09/25/2014 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
| SIU at Illinois State // SIU at Indiana State | |
| Dates | Fri., Sept. 26 // SIU at Illinois State, 7 p.m. Sat., Sept. 27 // SIU at Indiana State, 6 p.m. |
| Location | Bloomington, Ill. -- Redbird Arena (10,200) Terre Haute, Ind. -- ISU Arena (500) |
| Live Stats | SIU at Illinois State Stats SIU at Indiana State Stats |
| Video | SIU at Illinois State SIU at Indiana State |
| Match Notes | Southern Illinois | Illinois State | Indiana State |
| Season Stats | Southern Illinois | Illinois State | Indiana State |
| Media Guide | SIU Media Guide |
| Social Media | @SIU_Volleyball  | Saluki Volleyball  |
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Salukis travel to Illinois State and Indiana State on Friday and Saturday, respectively, for their first full weekend of Missouri Valley Conference play. The Salukis are currently 1-0 in the MVC after defeating Evansville, 3-1.
Scouting Illinois State
Riding on a four-match win streak, the Redbirds are 8-5 on the season, 2-0 in the MVC. ISU swept its first conference opponents, Wichita State and Missouri State, tying the Redbirds for first place with Northern Iowa. Ashley Rosch leads ISU's offense with 178 kills, hitting 3.42 kills per set for a .221 hitting efficiency. Kaitlyn Early also contributes to the Redbirds' offense, putting up 543 assists, 10.44 per set. Defensively, ISU leads the conference in opponent hitting percentage, only allowing .162. Emily Orrick leads the Redbirds, with 5.02 digs per set.
Scouting Indiana State
Indiana State also enters the weekend at 8-5, but the Sycamores went winless in their first conference matches against Missouri State and Wichita State. So far this season, Indiana State has gone undefeated at home, which could present a challenge for the Salukis. Bree Spangler leads the Sycamore offense with 161 kills, followed by Cassandra Willis who has 128 for a .409 hitting efficiency. Indiana State is ranked first in the conference for service aces, with 1.42 per set, and second in hitting percentage, kills and assists, with .221, 12.86 and 12.02, respectively.
Series History
Illinois State has been a tough opponent for the Salukis, as they lead the series record 67-9 against SIU. Last year, Illinois State swept the Salukis in their first matchup, but SIU bounced back later in the season to take their second match, 3-1. SIU leads the series record against Indiana State, 45-17. Last year the Salukis closed out the regular season at home against Indiana State, take an intense 3-2 victory against the Sycamores. Indiana State's last win against the Salukis was in 2011.
Conference Match-Ups
This weekend marks SIU's first full weekend of conference play, after the Salukis faced their last non-conference opponent last weekend at SEMO. SIU was picked fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, receiving 67 points from the annual poll of league coaches. Last year the Salukis finished second place overall at the conference tournament, with a 13-5 conference record. According to head coach Justin Ingram, how the team plays during conference matches is its own entity, separate from SIU's recent pre-conference matches. Overall, SIU has a .407 winning percentage in the MVC, including two seasons making it to the MVC quarterfinals and championship game under Ingram.
Introducing Nellie
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 36 on the season. In the last week alone, she contributed 11 stops. 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 1.22 kills and .73 blocks per frame.
Leader of the Attack
Junior Taylor Pippen is at the forefront of a strong and young Saluki offensive attack. She ranks second in kills with 123, and is operating at a high clip. She leads SIU's roster and the Missouri Valley Conference with a .416 hitting percentage, which ranks 24th in the nation. Last week, Pippen had one of the best weeks of her career, 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. The hitter also had a stellar performance against UT-Martin, hitting eight kills on 13 attacks for a .538 hitting percentage. Pippen beamed 14 kills on 18 attempts against Evansville, finishing the match without any errors.
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. In last week's match against SEMO, Viggars had a triple-double, with 11 kills, 38 assists and 16 digs. Viggars is the only player on the team who has ever accomplished such a feat. At the Saluki Invitational ,Viggars hit a career-high 15 kills against Marshall to help SIU win 3-1. The 6-foot England native finished the Saluki Invitationial 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 232 sets this season, and averages 4.73 per set.
Hard-hitting Offense
After one of the Salukis' best offensive performances against UT-Martin, hitting .381, SIU's offensive fervor continued in victories over Evansville and SEMO. Junior Taylor Pippen led SIU against Evansville with 14 kills on 18 swings for a career-high .778 hitting efficiency, the ninth-highest hitting percentage in Saluki volleyball history. The Salukis continued their offensive momentum against SEMO, finishing with a .226 hitting efficiency after freshman Nellie Fredricksson and Pippen propelled SIU's offense, finishing with .500 and .625 hitting percentages in the first set, respectively.
