Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Saluki Volleyball announces 2016 schedule
05/11/2016 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Saluki volleyball program released its 2016 schedule this week, featuring a slew of top-ranked teams, including 10 top-100 RPI opponents, four of which are from the Missouri Valley Conference.
Last year, in what resulted as the best season in program history, SIU started the season with a 9-4 record against non-conference opponents, for the best season start since head coach Justin Ingram's debut in 2012. This year, SIU will compete in four non-conference tournaments, plus a bout with regional rival SEMO and Murray State, to open the season.
The IUPUI Invitational will begin the Salukis' 2016 campaign, where SIU will take on teams from Central Michigan, Duquesne and IUPUI. Each will present their own challenges: Central Michigan is under new leadership this year, with Mike Gawlik, formerly of Michigan State, at the helm; Southern's last and only meeting with the Duquesne Dukes in Ingram's sophomore season, 2013, resulted in a tight three-set loss; and host school IUPUI finished last year with 21 wins, including one over MVC champion Wichita State.
From there, the Salukis will return home to host the 35th Saluki Invitational, held in SIU Arena. SIU will face Central Florida, Western Michigan and Northern Arizona. The Salukis' steepest competition will come from NAU, who finished the 2015 season at No. 33. Last season the Salukis fell to UCF in a three-set match in only the third of the season. The Saluki Invitational will be held Sept. 2-3.
The final two tournaments of the non-conference season will feature some of SIU's toughest competitors of the year. At the Western Kentucky Invitational, the Salukis will take on three top-100 RPI teams in No. 16 Western Kentucky, No. 38 Michigan State and No. 86 Cincinnati. The Dayton Invitational will be just as challenging, with No. 19 Loyola Marymount, No. 22 Dayton and Youngstown State at the tournament.
Moving into conference play, SIU will open against Northern Iowa and Drake on Sept. 23 and 24 at home. The Salukis will then travel to play their first of two Monday night matches this season, the first against Missouri State on Sept. 26 and the second against Wichita State on Oct. 10. The Bears and the Shockers, ranked No. 35 and No. 30, respectively, will continue to be top opponents within the Valley.
After a weekend on the road against Bradley and Loyola, SIU will return home to host Indiana State and No. 73 Illinois State on Oct. 7-8. The first half of the conference season will conclude with a home match against travel partner Evansville on Oct. 15.
In the final month of the season, SIU will host Loyola and Bradley on the last weekend of October, and Wichita State and Missouri State to conclude the regular season.
This year's team will return all but one player, with the loss of four-time All-MVC Taylor Pippen to graduation. Key returners include senior Meg Viggars and junior Andrea Estrada, who each earned conference honors last year, along with senior setter Hannah Kaminsky, nationally ranked blocker Alex Rosignol, and junior attacker Abby Barrow. The team will also welcome four freshmen to the Saluki squad. Head coach Justin Ingram will return for his fifth season at SIU, as the only coach to take the Salukis to the NCAA Tournament.
