Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Salukis open conference play at home against Bradley and Loyola
09/30/2015 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
| SIU vs. Bradley // SIU vs. Loyola | |
| Dates | Friday, Oct. 2, 2015 // SIU vs. Bradley 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015 // SIU vs. Loyola 7 p.m. |
| Location | Carbondale, Ill. -- Davies Gym (1,250) |
| Live Stats | SIU vs. Bradley Live Stats SIU vs. Loyola Live Stats |
| Video | SIU vs. Bradley on ESPN3 SIU vs. Loyola on ESPN3 |
| Tickets | Saluki Ticket Office (877-SALUKIS) |
| Match Notes | Southern Illinois | Bradley | Loyola |
| Season Stats | Southern Illinois | Bradley | Loyola |
| Social Media | @SIU_Volleyball  | Saluki Volleyball |
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Salukis (10-5, 1-1) welcome their first conference opponents to Davies Gym this weekend, hosting Bradley (5-9, 0-2) and Loyola (12-3, 1-1) on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Scouting Bradley
After a promising 5-1 start to the season, the Bradley Braves have dipped to 5-9, losing eight consecutive matches, all but one of which were 3-0 sweeps. Most recently, Bradley fell 0-3 to both Loyola and Northern Iowa to open conference play. Bradley's strength comes from behind the service line, with Jessica Teel leading the Braves and the MVC in aces with 19 total, 0.40 per set. Lea Sack also ranks in the top-10 in the Valley, averaging 0.33 per set for seventh place. Teel and Sack lead the team on offense and defense as well, Teel with the most assists at 5.06 per set and Sack with most digs at 4.65 per set. Erica Haslag capitalizes on Teel's sets, leading the team with 2.75 kills per set and a .216 efficiency.
Scouting Loyola
The Loyola Ramblers sit just one spot ahead of SIU in fourth place in the MVC with a 1-1 conference record, 12-3 overall. The Ramblers went on an 11-match win streak before falling to Drake, 3-1, on Monday. Loyola leads the MVC in nearly every statistical category, topping the charts for hitting percentage (.266), opponent hitting percentage (.152), assists (13.09/s), kills (13.91/s) and service aces (1.63/s). The team ranks last, however, for digs with 14.72 per set. Morgan Reardon leads the Ramblers' offense with 3.21 kills per set, while Sami Hansen leads the team and the Valley in attack percentage at .441. Caroline Holt has put up 308 assists for 6.16 per set. Stephanie Kinane and Reardon run the defense, with 3.79 and 3.26 digs per set, respectively.
Series History
Under head coach Justin Ingram's leadership, the Salukis are 5-2 against the Braves (4-2 in regular season, 1-0 in postseason play), and 3-1 against Loyola. Last year SIU swept Bradley in both meetings and split matches with Loyola, losing 3-1 the first time and winning 3-0 the second. Overall, the Salukis lead the series records against both schools, topping Bradley 40-18 and Loyola 6-3.
No. 8 All-Time at SIU
Junior Hannah Kaminsky's contributions to the team are often out of the spotlight, but the former MVC Freshman of the Year (2013) has made a significant impact not only on this year's team, but on Saluki Volleyball history. Kaminsky leads the Salukis in assists and service aces, with 370 and 16, respectively. Her 370 assists this season bump her up to 2,249 career assists, ranking eighth all-time in Saluki Volleyball history. Kaminsky just narrowly surpasses Brooklyn Robbins (2007-08) with 2,247 assists.
Middle Hitters Stepping Up
In the six matches that senior Taylor Pippen has not played for the Salukis due to a sore shoulder, middle hitters McKenzie Dorris and Alex Rosignol have stepped up to fill Pippen's role. In the past six matches, Rosignol and Dorris have combined for 49 kills on 137 attempts for a .358 efficiency. The two have also maintained a tough defense at the net with 48 blocks, including four solo between the two of them. Dorris is last year's leading blocker in the MVC, while Rosignol claims the title this season. In SIU's sweep over Drake last week, Rosignol finished with a career high .875 attack efficiency. Dorris added to SIU's strength with six block assists, a personal high this season.
Barrow Brings the Heat
Sophomore Abby Barrow brought the heat for SIU's offense last weekend, finishing the opening weekend of conference play with 26 kills for an average of 3.71 per set. In SIU's sweep over Drake on Saturday, Barrow hit at a ridiculous .462 attack efficiency with 14 kills on 26 attempts with only two errors. After finishing with the second-most kills on the team against UNI the previous night, totaling 12 with a .216 efficiency, Barrow came away from the weekend with a .317 efficiency overall. Barrow is currently the second-leading attacker for the Salukis, with 170 kills on the season and a .239 efficiency overall.
SIU's Offensive Powerhouse
Redshirt sophomore Andrea Estrada is an offensive powerhouse for the Salukis. She has led the Salukis in kills and attempts in 60 percent of matches this season. Overall she leads SIU with 203 kills on 556 attempts. She currently averages 3.33 kills per set, ranking fourth in the MVC, and is hitting at a .210 clip. Estrada's offensive power has produced positive results for the Salukis, with 203 points coming off her kills and a total of 226 points overall for an average of 3.70 per set, eighth in the Valley.
Knocking ‘em Down
The Salukis' blocking power has shut down opponents all season, with a total of 143.5 blocks compared to 91 by opponents. SIU ranks 21st in the nation for total blocks, just half a block behind Rice with 144. The Salukis lead the MVC with 2.35 blocks per set. Both Alex Rosignol and Meg Viggars rank in the top-5 for blocks per set in the Valley, coming in at 1st with 1.42 and 5th with 1.03 blocks per set, respectively.
National Ranked Blocker
Alex Rosignol continues to put up a tough front at the net, leading the Salukis and the MVC in blocks with an average of 1.42 per set this season. In the opening weekend of conference play, Rosignol tallied 11 blocks, including one solo against Northern Iowa and Drake. Rosignol's 11 blocks bump her to 78 so far this season, which ranks sixth in the nation. She also ranks 20th in the nation for blocks per set.
Triple-Double Testament
Commonly called SIU's Swiss Army knife for her versatility on the court, junior Meg Viggars has totaled three triple doubles so far this season, bumping her grand total to six overall. Viggars was just one kill away from clinching another triple double last weekend in SIU's 3-0 sweep over Drake, totaling nine kills, 17 assists and 10 digs. Viggars is among the top for the Salukis in nearly all statistical categories, averaging 2.05 kills, 5.33 assists, 2.56 digs and 1.03 blocks per set. She currently ranks third in the nation for triple doubles this season.
MVC on ESPN3
This year marks the first year of a 10-year agreement between the Missouri Valley Conference and ESPN, which will provide increased coverage of MVC sports through the 2023-24 academic year. All Saluki volleyball home matches, along with any conference matches on the road, will be carried on ESPN3. ESPN3 is free to all users and can be accessed online.
