Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
1-0
Central Michigan
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMU | 21 | 18 | 17 | 0 |
| SIU | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Salukis Open Season With Sweep of Central Michigan
08/26/2016 | 9:16:00 | Women's Volleyball
The Southern Illinois volleyball team began the 2016 season with a 25-21, 25-18, 25-17 sweep of Central Michigan at the IUPUI Invitational Friday.
Meg Viggars led the Salukis with a double-double, finishing with 10 kills and 20 assists. Nellie Fredriksson had 10 kills and hit .421, while McKenzie Dorris had seven kills and four block assists. Hannah Kaminsky tallied 20 assists and two service aces, and Andrea Estrada totaled a team-best 12 digs to go along with eight kills.
SIU outhit CMU .299 to .087, with Viggars, Dorris, Alex Rosignol and Abby Barrow combining for seven blocks.
The Salukis never trailed in set one, though the Chippewas hung around in the early going. A CMU kill tied the contest, 9-9, but the Salukis quickly rattled off three-straight points to build a lead that they never surrendered. The Chippewas got to within two on two occasions, but each time Southern answered, and CMU could get no closer.
Central Michigan took its first lead of the match in set two, capitalizing on a Saluki attack error to take an 8-7 lead. That lead was short lived, as a pair of Dorris kills put Southern back ahead, 9-8. After a SIU service error tied the set, 9-9, the Salukis responded with three-straight points, of which Viggars provided a kill and assisted on another. Southern's quick attacks continued to overwhelm Central Michigan, as the Salukis converted on 15-of-27 attempts (.481) in the set with just two errors.
The teams battled early in set three with neither team able to grab more than a two-point lead until the Salukis went on an 8-0 run with the score tied 16-16. Estrada was a spark offensively during the run, tallying three of her eight kills during the stretch. The Salukis closed out the sweep with a kill by Viggars on a pass from Kaminsky.
The Salukis resume play at the IUPUI Invitational Saturday with a match against Duquesne University at 10 a.m., followed by a match against the hosts from IUPUI at 7 p.m.
