Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Central Michigan
Volleyball set to open 2016 season at IUPUI Invitational
08/25/2016 | 4:58:00 | Women's Volleyball
The Salukis will take on Central Michigan, Duquesne and IUPUI during the two-day invite.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois University volleyball team will open the 2016 season in Indianapolis, Ind. for the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational. The Salukis will take on Central Michigan Friday at 4:30 p.m., before facing Duquesne (10 a.m.) and IUPUI (7 p.m.) on Saturday.
Duquesne returns five starters plus the libero from a squad that went 14-15 a year ago, while Central Michigan is beginning a new era of Chippewas volleyball under first-year head coach Mike Gawlik. The Chippewas return their top-three hitters from a season ago.
The hosts, the IUPUI Jaguars, compiled a 21-10 record in 2015, including an 11-1 record on their home court. The Jags were picked to finish third in the Summit League this season, and return four starters from a year ago. They graduated their leading attacker from a year ago, Kaitlyn Hickey, who accounted for over a fourth of IUPUI's kills last season.
Season Openers
The Salukis are 24-17 all-time in season openers, having won last year's season opener against Delaware at the UCF Invitational. Southern is 2-2 in season openers under head coach Justin Ingram.
All-time vs. Opponents
SIU will open against Central Michigan, with Friday's matchup marking the first time the two programs have met since 2002. The two sides have split their previous 10 matches dating back to 1976, with Southern's last win, a straight-set victory, coming on Sept. 6, 2002.
The Salukis will then take on Duquesne University on Saturday in what will be just the second time the two schools have faced one another. The Dukes were victorious in the only previous meeting between the two schools, a 3-0 win on Aug. 31, 2013.
Southern will close out the IUPUI Invitational against the hosts on Saturday at 7 p.m. in what will mark just the third meeting between the two programs. SIU holds a 2-0 edge all-time, winning the last matchup between the schools, 3-1 on Aug. 25, 2006.
Last Season
Southern returns four starters and the libero from last year's team that posted the most wins in a single-season since 2002 and made the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Salukis capped the season at 23-10, going 14-4 in league play. Southern's 14 wins in Valley play were the most in school history.
The Salukis are entering their fifth season under the direction of head coach Justin Ingram, who has led the program to a 80-47 record and four-straight seasons of 10-plus wins in conference play, the longest such streak in program history. Southern has won 20-plus games in three of Ingram's four seasons at the helm, culminating in Ingram being honored as the MVC's Coach of the Year last season.
SIU Ranked
According to VolleyballMag.com's inaugural mid-major poll, The Salukis are the No. 18-ranked team in a poll that features teams from the 27 non-power conferences. Southern will play seven programs that earned inclusion on the 25 team list, including three Missouri Valley Conference foes in Missouri State, Wichita State and Northern Iowa.
Estrada Preseason All-MVC
Redshirt junior outside hitter Andrea Estrada was selected to the Preseason All-MVC team. Estrada earned MVC First-Team honors a year ago after finishing fourth in the league in kills with a 3.56 kills per set average to go along with 3.13 digs per set. The Bogota, Colombia native needs just 247 kills to join the 1,000-kill club.
Milestone Watch List Continued
• Hannah Kamisky has tallied 2,603 career assists, the sixth-most in school history. The Woodridge, Ill. native needs just 194 assists to move into the top-five.
• Meg Viggars could become just the 13th Saluki in the 1,000-digs club and has an outside chance to become the fifth in program history to notch 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career, needing 69 digs and 286 kills to do so.
