Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
7-7, 1-1MVC
Illinois State
9-5, 3-0MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 26 | 13 | 17 | 11 | 1 |
| Illinois State | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Salukis drop match against Illinois State in four sets
09/26/2014 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Salukis (7-7) fell to Illinois State (9-5), 3-1, in their first conference road trip of the season, ending SIU's four-match win streak. After the Salukis took the first set, 26-24, the Redbirds topped SIU in the final three frames.
Freshman Andrea Estrada and junior Taylor Pippen led the Salukis with eight and seven kills, respectively. Pippen hit with a .235 hitting percentage. Sophomore Meg Viggars finished with 20 assists, and senior Alex Rivera had 18 digs.
"We needed a change to happen within our efforts, and we didn't play to our standards," head coach Justin Ingram said. "In this league it's anybody's game on any day."
The Redbirds took a quick lead in the first set, but the Salukis were never more than four points behind. A kill by freshman Nellie Fredriksson prompted SIU to go on a 7-1 point run to tie the set, 19-19. Illinois State jumped back out with five straight points, advancing to set point, 24-19, but three ISU errors, a service ace by Rivera and kills by Pippen and Viggars allowed the Salukis to win the first frame, 26-24.
"It was a combination of things that happened in order for us to come out ahead in that set," Ingram said. "We defended a little bit better and they made a couple unforced errors."
The Salukis were not so successful in the final three sets, however. Big point runs by the Redbirds propelled them to take early leads in each of the remaining frames, never allowing SIU to regain the lead.
SIU moves to 1-1 in the MVC as they head to Indiana State to face the Sycamores on Saturday. Match time is 6 p.m.
"We understand where we're at, and we're willing to make some bigger efforts," Ingram said. "We understand the importance of tomorrow's match, and we feel prepared to go to battle tomorrow."
