Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Salukis beat No. 22 ranked Missouri State, 3-2, for the Bears’ first MVC loss
10/05/2015 | 2:25:00 | Women's Volleyball
Meg Viggars finished the night with another triple double with 10 digs, 26 assists and 12 kills for a .522 efficiency.
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Salukis refused to give up on Monday night, pulling out a 3-2 win over No. 22 ranked Missouri State at Davies Gym. SIU is the first team in the Missouri Valley Conference to beat the top-ranked Bears this season. With this victory, the Salukis move to 12-6 on the season and 3-2 in MVC play. This season alone, SIU is 5-1 in five-set matches.
Redshirt sophomore Andrea Estrada was swinging for the fences, finishing the night with 43 attacks, resulting in 17 kills. This is the 11th time this season Estrada has led the Salukis in total attempts and kills. Junior Meg Viggars also had a standout match, hitting 12 kills and zero errors on 23 attempts for a .522 efficiency, her highest of the season. She also added 26 assists, 10 digs and three service aces for her fourth triple-double of the season.
"We knew this was an important game and we really needed to win it, so we just pushed harder, hit harder and we did everything more aggressive," Viggars said. "It was very tense at times, but it's a really good win for us."
After dropping the first set, 25-22, the Salukis blew Missouri State away in the second with an unprecedented 25-9 finish. The last time the Salukis topped a team by that great a margin was in 2012 against Indiana State. The second and third sets were neck and neck, with the Bears taking the third, 25-23, and the Salukis responding with a 25-23 victory in the fourth.
The score alternated in the beginning of the fifth set, but two kills by Viggars and a string of errors by the Bears put the Salukis up 6-3 to force a Missouri State timeout. A pair of aces by Viggars and a couple kills from sophomore Abby Barrow bumped the Salukis up to a 13-5 lead before Missouri State scored a pair of points, causing SIU to use a timeout. A kill by senior Taylor Pippen, her eighth of the night, put SIU at match point where the Bears held them for a point, but Estrada's final kill of the match secured the Saluki win, 15-8 in the fifth set.
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"We were on the edge of our seats trying to make sure we could sustain just one more point," head coach Justin Ingram said. "Missouri State is relentless, so they're going to grind and go after people, but there were moments where our efforts were greater than theirs."
Missouri State sophomore Lynsey Wright finished the match with a career-high 24 kills, with nine coming in the first set alone with a .818 efficiency. SIU was able to hold off the Bears for three set points before Missouri State took the first, 25-22.
"We knew coming in that she was going to be a load to defend, but Lynsey Wright was unreal," Ingram said. " In the second and third we were able to slow her down, but for a middle hitter to have 24 kills, they were outstanding at getting the ball to her."
The Salukis brought the Bears' to a halt in the second set, holding Missouri State to a -.167 attack efficiency compared to SIU's .478, the highest of the match. SIU's defense was on point as well, with six blocks in the second frame, including to solo by McKenzie Dorris. Dorris finished the match with a career-high nine blocks. The Salukis' defense held MSU to only six kills with 11 errors, allowing SIU to take a commanding 25-9 win.
"A 25-9 set is just too far away from reality," Ingram said. "Missouri State is a phenomenal team, so there was no doubt they were going to come back firing in the next set."
Coming out of the break, Missouri State rallied back for a 25-23 third set win, but the Salukis still hung tight. The fourth set saw 14 tied scores and eight lead changes, with neither team leading by more than two points throughout the frame. Two kills by Estrada and Barrow framed a Missouri State error, earning the Salukis the final three points of the set to advance to a 25-23 win and to force a deciding fifth.
SIU's 15-8 win in the fifth, sparked by a string of four points on Viggars' serves, advanced the Salukis' to their fifth five-set victory of the season. After splitting the weekend against Bradley and Loyola, Monday's win moves the Salukis to 3-2 at the conclusion of their three-match home stand.
"That's what most of the game was about, was our service runs," Ingram said. "I think our team stepped up after having two matches on Friday and Saturday and was able to rebound from a loss against Loyola with a big win tonight."
The Salukis will hit the road for only one match this weekend, taking on Evansville on Saturday night. Match time is 6 p.m.
