Volleyball falls to Loyola in four sets

Saturday, October 1

Chicago, Ill.

7:00 PM

Southern Illinois University

13-6 (4-1MVC)

Loyola

8-9 (3-1MVC)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Southern Illinois	23	20	25	21	1
Loyola Chicago	25	25	23	25	3

Photo by: Tom Weber

10/01/2016 | 10:30:00 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

The Southern Illinois volleyball team suffered its first Missouri Valley Conference loss of the season Saturday night, falling to the Loyola Ramblers in four sets (23-25, 20-25, 25-23, 21-25).

The Salukis (13-6, 4-1 MVC) dropped their first Valley match after starting the conference season 4-0 for the first time since 1995. Southern hit .282 for the match, including .429 during the first set. Loyola (8-9, 3-1 MVC) one-upped SIU, hitting at a .336 clip.

Abby Barrow paced the Saluki offense, hitting a season-best .467 with 16 kills on 30 swings with only two errors. Kolby Meeks and Meg Viggars each added eight kills for the Salukis, while Mariana Pilon had a team-best 10 digs.

SIU scored the first three points of the opening frame, highlighted by back-to-back kills by Estrada, before the Ramblers answered with a four-point run of their own. Loyola took its largest lead of the set on a kill by Maclagowski that made it 15-11 in favor of the hosts. SIU chipped away at the Ramblers lead, tying the score, 19-19, after forcing a Loyola hitting error. A Rambler service error on set point gave SIU one last gasp, and the Salukis got to within one, 24-23, but the Ramblers sided out to take the set, 25-23.

Loyola opened the second frame with back-to-back points, taking an early 2-0 lead on a kill by Morgan Reardon. Southern took its first lead of the frame, 6-5, on a kill by Alex Rosignol. SIU grew its lead to four, 18-14 on a kill by Barrow. The Ramblers, however, closed the frame on an 11-2 run to take the set.

The Salukis clawed back into the match in set three, with SIU going to its bench to get a spark offensively. McKenzie Dorris, Ginger Perinar and Shannon Hagen all put down critical kills in the frame, while Barrow notched six of her 16 kills during the set, including putting down the set point kill to extend the match.

The two sides engaged in a sideout battle for much of the fourth set, as a Dorris solo block gave SIU a 16-15 advantage. The Ramblers, however, closed with a 5-1 run to take the set and the match.

The Salukis return to MVC play against Indiana State on Friday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m., before hosting the Illinois State Redbirds Saturday in a showdown of the current top-two teams in the Valley. First serve against the Redbirds is set for 7 p.m.