Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Illinois State
Volleyball set to travel to Illinois State, Indiana State
11/03/2016 | 5:17:00 | Women's Volleyball
| Southern Illinois (18-9, 9-4 MVC) vs. Indiana State (9-15, 3-9 MVC) / Illinois State (15-9, 8-4 MVC) | |
| Date & Time | Nov. 4 vs. Illinois State | 7 p.m. CT Nov. 5 vs. Indiana State | 6 p.m. CT |
| Video Stream | vs. Illinois State |
| Live Stats | vs. Illinois State vs. Indiana State |
| Southern Illinois | Game Notes | Stats | Media Guide |
| Illinois State | Game Notes | Stats | Media Guide |
| Indiana State | Game Notes | Stats | Yearbook |
| MVC | Weekly Notes | Stats |
| All-Time Series | Overall: SIU leads Indiana State, 49-18-1 | Streak: SIU W4 | Last Meeting: SIU 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-22) Overall: Illinois State leads SIU, 70-11-1 | Streak: SIU W2 | Last Meeting: SIU 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 19-25, 25-18) |
| Social Media | @SIU_Volleyball  | @SIUSalukis  | Saluki Volleyball  |
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois volleyball team hits the road this weekend, heading to Illinois State on Friday to take on the Redbirds, before traveling to Indiana State on Saturday.
SIU (18-9, 9-4 MVC) defeated both schools earlier this season, posting a sweep of the Sycamores behind 15 kills from Andrea Estrada, and following that up with a four set win over Illinois State on Oct. 8. SIU's middles combined to hit .629 over the Redbirds, with Kolby Meeks putting down 10 kills and Alex Rosignol adding seven.
Estrada tallied 30 digs (4.29/set) in two matches last week and now has 959 digs for her career. The Bogota, Colombia native, who became SIU's 14th member of the 1,000-kill club earlier this season, needs 41 digs to become the fourth Saluki to have both 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs.
The Redbirds (15-9, 8-4 MVC) come into Friday's match having won their last three matches, posting sweeps over Bradley, Loyola and Indiana State. Jaelyn Keene continues to lead the Redbird attack, as she's hitting .450 with a 3.22 kills per set average. The Salukis limited Keene to a .219 efficiency in their four-set win on Oct. 8, and SIU will continue trying to make things difficult for the preseason All-MVC selection on Friday.
"Illinois State is a fantastic team," fifth-year head coach Justin Ingram said. "They have a middle hitter who is one of the best and most efficient hitters in the country. Jaelyn Keene is really talented and the more you can do to disrupt her the better chance you have to win the game."
Indiana State (9-15, 3-9 MVC) comes into Saturday's match having lost their last three matches and five of their last six. The Sycamores are paced offensively by Kynedi Nalls, as she's averaging 3.38 kills per set.
"Kynedi Nalls is a bit of an anomaly," Ingram said. "She's a one-foot jumper and hits primarily on the right side for (Indiana State). She's arguably the best one-foot hitter in the conference and is really talented."
Nalls had 11 kills on .333 hitting in Indiana State's loss at Davies Gym on Oct. 7. The Salukis countered by hitting .314 as a team to improve to 49-18-1 all-time against the Sycamores, and 8-1 against ISU under head coach Justin Ingram.
With five matches remaining in the regular season, the Salukis are tied with Northern Iowa for third in the MVC. Both teams are a game behind Wichita State for second, with Missouri State a game in front of the Shockers, and two in front of SIU/UNI with a 10-2 conference record. The Salukis have plenty to play for with home matches against the Shockers (Nov. 18) and the Bears (Nov. 19) upcoming.
