Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
3-0
IUPUI
1-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIU | 25 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
| IUPUI | 21 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 1 |
Salukis win IUPUI Invitational Championship
08/27/2016 | 11:12:00 | Women's Volleyball
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INDIANAPOLIS – The championship match of the IUPUI Invitational lived up to its billing, as the Southern Illinois volleyball team emerged victorious with a hard-fought 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 26-24, 25-22) victory Saturday.
For the Salukis, it marks the program's first 3-0 start since 2009. Southern's Andrea Estrada was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the IUPUI Invitational, while Alex Rosignol and McKenzie Dorris joined Estrada on the All-Tournament team.
Estrada averaged 10.33 kills and eight digs per match during the tournament, including a game-high 15 kills in the win over IUPUI. The Bogota, Colombia native was one of five Salukis to record at least seven kills. Abby Barrow had 13 kills and three blocks, and Alex Rosignol had eight kills. Her fellow middle blocker, McKenzie Dorris, had seven kills with just one error for a .353 hitting percentage. Meg Viggars added seven kills to go along with 17 digs and a team-best 28 assists.
Hannah Kaminsky had 24 assists and 11 digs. Mariana Pilon (17) and Ashley Edelen (11) combined for 28 of the Salukis' 65 digs, as Southern's impressive passing was on display throughout the match.
The Salukis won the serving battle with 10 aces, compared to five for IUPUI. Viggars had three of them, while Rosignol and Pilon each recorded a pair. Southern also held a 13.5-to-9.0 advantage in blocks.
SIU led for good in the first set after taking a 12-11 lead on a kill by Estrada and stretching it to 22-15 on back-to-back kills by Barrow. After IUPUI pulled it back to 23-21, the Salukis got a kill by Estrada and a double block by Estrada and Dorris to cap off the set and give SIU a 25-21 win.
Southern encountered its toughest challenge so far this season in set two, as the Jaguars built a 10-5 lead courtesy of a pair of points off blocks by Abby Boatman and Alexis Mapes. Trailing 15-9, the Salukis chipped away at IUPUI's advantage with a 5-1 spurt, with Viggars contributing a kill and an ace. After the two sides traded points, IUPUI grew its lead to 22-17 by capitalizing on SIU's mistakes. Estrada and Dorris swung the Salukis back into the game as each put down a kill and teamed up for a block to get within two, 22-20. After a kill by IUPUI's Kori Waelbroeck pushed the home team's advantage back to three, Kaminsky set up Viggars and Dorris for kills to get SIU to within one, 23-22. After a Jaguar kill gave the hosts set point, the Woodridge, Ill. native found Barrow on the outside for a kill to again get Southern to within one. That was as close as SIU could get, as a Logan Walling kill gave IUPUI the 25-23 win.
The third set featured 12 ties and seven lead changes, with back-to-back kills by Estrada knotting the score, 9-9. The Salukis took an 11-9 lead on a double block and a service ace, causing the Jaguars to use a timeout. After play resumed, IUPUI went on an 8-2 run to take a 17-13 advantage. Southern responded with a 7-2 spurt of its own to wrestle back the lead, 20-19, but the lead was short-lived, as the two sides continued to trade points. With the score tied 24-24, Barrow returned to the front row, and Kaminsky found her for back-to-back kills to give SIU a 26-24 win.
In set four, the Salukis put together a 5-0 run with the score tied at 3-3 to take a lead it never surrendered. Shannon Hagen was a key contributor in the fourth set, as she notched four of Southern's 15 kills in the set. SIU hit .323 and held IUPUI to a .107 clip. Five different Salukis had kills in the set, with all five registering at least two kills.
The Salukis are back in action on Friday, Sept. 2 when they host the Saluki Invitational. Southern kicks off the four-team tournament with a match against the University of Central Florida at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 877-SALUKIS.
