SIU Volleyball hosts Dig for a Cure match, Illinois State and Bradley

Southern Illinois (4-15, 3-5) vs. Illinois State (13-9, 6-3)/Bradley (8-15, 1-8)
Date & Time	Oct. 20 vs. Illinois State \| 7 p.m. CT Oct. 21 vs. Bradley \| 7 p.m. CT
Video Stream	vs. Illinois State vs. Bradley
Live Stats	vs. Illinois State vs. Bradley
Southern Illinois	Game Notes \| Stats \| Media Guide
Bradley	Game Notes \| Stats
Illinois State	Game Notes \| Stats \| Media Guide
MVC	Weekly Notes \| Stats
All-Time Series	Overall: SIU leads Bradley, 45-18 \| Streak: SIU W8 \| Last Meeting: SIU 3-1 (27-29, 25-17, 25-16, 25-22) Overall: Illinois State leads SIU, 72-12-1 \| Streak: ISU W2 \| Last Meeting: ISU 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-18)
Social Media	@SIU_Volleyball \| @SIUSalukis \| Saluki Volleyball

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois University volleyball team (4-15, 3-5) returns to Davies Gym this weekend for an eventful homestand in which it hosts the Illinois State Redbirds and the Bradley Braves. The Salukis will tangle with the Redbirds (13-9, 6-3) Friday at 7 p.m., before taking on the Braves (8-15, 1-8) Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Promotions
The Salukis will host their Dig for a Cure match Friday night against Illinois State. Southern will don its pink jerseys against the Redbirds in an effort to raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer. SIU's swimming and diving team will also be in attendance, as Friday night marks its annual "Saluki Strip" match. Southern will sign autographs following Saturday's match.

Additional Media
Saluki play-by-play announcer Connor Onion has sat down with several current Salukis to discuss a myriad of issues, having most recently spoken with sophomore Alayna Martin about the challenges of being a setter, how much she learned from last year's senior class, her love of her hometown, the St. Louis Cardinals and much more. Take a listen on Saluki radio.

Also be sure to check out these additional interviews from earlier this season:
Kolby Meeks
Patience Brown
Ashley Edelen
Maggie Nedoma

All-Time vs. Illinois State
The Salukis and the Redbirds will meet for the 86th time in a series that dates back to 1975. Illinois State holds a commanding 72-12-1 lead in the all-time series, which includes a 44-8-1 all-time record vs. the Salukis in Carbondale. SIU, however, has won back-to-back matches against Illinois State on its home floor, and have won three of the last four meetings over the Redbirds at Davies Gym. Last season, Southern defeated Illinois State at Davies in four sets (25-17, 25-19, 19-25, 25-18) behind 10 kills from Kolby Meeks and eight kills and seven digs from Andrea Estrada.

Scouting the Redbirds
The Redbirds come into Davies Gym riding a four-match winning streak, with wins over Loyola, Valpo, Indiana State and Bradley during the streak. Illinois State, who defeated SIU in straight-sets inside Redbird Arena on Sept. 23, are led by Jaelyn Keene and Courtney Pence. Keene ranks in the top-three in the league in aces per set (2nd, .34), kills per set (3rd, 3.94), points (3rd, 403.5), points per set (2nd, 4.86), service aces (2nd, 28), total blocks (2nd, 85) and total kills (3rd, 327). Pence, meanwhile, is the reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year and leads the nation in total digs (505) and is currently third in digs per set (6.08).

All-Time vs. Bradley
The Braves and the Salukis will meet for the 64th time Saturday in a series that dates back to 1975. SIU leads the all-time series, 45-18. The Salukis have won three-straight over the Braves at Davies Gym and hold a 24-8 record on their home floor versus Bradley. In total, Southern has won eight-straight over Bradley with the Braves last win in the series coming on Nov. 26, 2013, a 3-0 Bradley win. Saluki head coach Kari Thompson is 3-0 all-time record against the Braves, including a 2-0 record from her previous stint at North Dakota State.

Scouting the Braves
The Braves have lost eight of their last nine to open Valley play, with its lone win, a five-set victory over Loyola, coming on Oct. 7. The Bradley offense runs through Erica Haslag, who leads the nation in total attempts (1,117), ranks 27th in kills per set (4.24) and 32nd in points per set (4.67). Defensively, Yavianliz Rosado ranks fifth in the NCAA in total digs (466) and 23rd for digs per set (5.30).

Closing the Block
The Salukis continue to close out the block. Southern recorded 11.0 blocks in a four-set loss to Drake, which are the seventh-most in a four-set match in the Valley this season. It also marked the seventh time this season that the Salukis have blocked 10-plus attempts. SIU currently has two of the top-10 single match block totals in the MVC this season.

Spreading the ball around
Nellie Fredriksson became the sixth Saluki hitter with at least 100 kills on the season. It marks the third-straight season, and 10th season since the Missouri Valley Conference formed in 1992, that the Salukis have had at least six hitters with 100 kills.

Next 1 is 100
Defensive specialist/libero Ashley Edelen will play in the 100th match of her career against Illinois State Friday night. She's the fourth active Saluki to eclipse 100 career matches player, joining Andrea Estrada (114), Nellie Fredriksson (114), and Abby Barrow (113).

Block Party
The Salukis recorded a season-high 11 blocks at Drake, with three Salukis recording at least five block assists a piece. It marked the sixth time this season and 75th time in the past six seasons that Southern has notched double-digit blocks in a match.

Getting her hands on it
Patience Brown recorded six block assists at Drake on Oct. 14. It marked the third time this season that the Bloomington, Ill. native has notched at least six block assists, and she has tallied at least one block in all 15 of the matches she has played in this season.

Closing in on 1000
Abby Barrow, who posted back-to-back double-doubles against Evansville and Indiana State, is closing in on 1,000 career kills. She is 32 kills shy of becoming the 15th Saluki with 1,000 career kills.

Barrow's Aces
Barrow recorded her 12th service ace of the season against Drake on Oct. 14, which are three more than she had in her first three seasons combined.

Double-Doubles
Rachel Maguire tallied her fourth career double-double at Drake on Oct. 14, as she dished out 15 assists and added 12 digs. It marked the fourth time this season that the Bloomington, Ill. native has totaled 10 or more digs. Fellow setter Alayna Martin, meanwhile, recorded her third-straight double-double, and seventh of the season, at Drake with 24 assists and 16 digs.

Three of her last four
Andrea Estrada has reached double figures in both kills and digs in three of her last four matches, including 13 kills and 15 digs at Drake on Oct. 14. It was Estrada's sixth double-double of the season, and 51st of her career. She needs three more double-doubles to pass Marlo Moreland for fourth-most in program history.

Active Career Leaders
Andrea Estrada's 1,276 career kills are the sixth-most in program history, and the 32th-most amongst active DI student-athletes. Her 1,165 career digs, meanwhile, rank her fifth in school history and are the 71st most amongst active players.

Tough Sledding
The cumulative win/loss percentage of SIU's opponents this season currently sits at .554, which is the second-highest in the MVC. Only Loyola's .556 is higher.

Calendar

Upcoming Events