Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
10-5, 1-0MVC
Northern Iowa
9-6, 0-2MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Iowa | 25 | 23 | 29 | 25 | 13 | 2 |
| Southern Illinois | 18 | 25 | 31 | 19 | 15 | 3 |
Salukis win five-set thriller over Northern Iowa in MVC Opener
09/23/2016 | 11:58:00 | Women's Volleyball
Photo Gallery
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois volleyball team opened Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play with a thrilling five-set (18-25, 25-23, 31-29, 19-25, 15-13) victory over the Northern Iowa Panthers Friday night inside Davies Gym.
After the Salukis held on to win an exhausting third set that featured 11 ties and three lead changes, it was the Panthers (9-6, 0-2) who appeared to seize all of the momentum by getting out to a comfortable 8-1 lead in the fourth. UNI built its lead to 18-10, before SIU called its second timeout of the frame. Fifth-year head coach Justin Ingram and his staff had a simple message for their squad.
"Whatever we do at the end of this set is going to carry over to the fifth (set)," Ingram said to his team. "It's vital that we pick it up, right now, regardless if we win or lose in this fourth set so we have a chance in the fifth to get up early."
The Salukis responded, getting a sideout point on a kill by Meg Viggars. Southern ripped off a three-point run with Alex Rosignol at the service line to get to within five (22-17). After trailing by as many as nine in the frame, the Dawgs cut the deficit down to four (23-19) on a double block by McKenzie Dorris and Meg Viggars. The Panthers closed out the set with back-to-back points and silenced what had been a raucous Davies Gym crowd.
"Down by eight your odds (of winning) aren't good," Ingram said. "But that doesn't mean you can't perform your hardest and make it seem like you're winning. There are times when the scoreboard is something you don't want to look at. You want to react towards the process, not towards how you feel."
Southern appeared to put the fourth set in the rearview mirror, as a pair of blocks reignited the home crowd and gave SIU a 2-0 lead in set five. The Salukis maintained a two-point lead through much of the fifth frame, before a kill by Kayla Haneline got UNI to within one, 14-13. The Salukis sided out on the ensuing serve, with Mariana Pilon finding Viggars who set Estrada, and she delivered Ingram his 90th win while at SIU.
The Salukis were led by Abby Barrow, who tied a career-best with 21 kills. Barrow was joined in double figures by classmates Nellie Fredriksson and Andrea Estrada, who finished with 13 and 11 kills, respectively.
"Nellie had a great match for us on the right side and Abby had a great match on the left," Ingram said. "Those two were key positions for us throughout the night."
UNI (9-6, 0-2 MVC) was paced offensively by preseason All-MVC selection Kayla Haneline, who recorded 19 kills on 38 swings for a .395 hitting efficiency. The Salukis held returning All-MVC selection Amie Held to -.075 hitting, with the Salukis tallying 12.0 total blocks.
The Salukis return to the court tomorrow, when they host the Drake Bulldogs (10-5, 1-0 MVC) at 7 p.m. inside Davies Gym.
