Saluki Volleyball opens MVC play at Bradley, Illinois State

Southern Illinois (1-10) vs. Bradley (7-7) / Illinois State (7-6)
Date & Time	Sept. 22 vs. Bradley \| 7 p.m. CT Sept. 23 vs. Illinois State \| 7 p.m. CT
Video Stream	vs. Bradley vs. Illinois State
Live Stats	vs. Bradley vs. Illinois State
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, 44-18 \| Streak: SIU W7 \| Last Meeting: SIU 3-0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-17) Overall: Illinois State leads SIU, 71-12-1 \| Streak: ISU W1 \| Last Meeting: ISU 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-18)
Social Media	@SIU_Volleyball \| @SIUSalukis \| Saluki Volleyball

The Southern Illinois volleyball team hits the road this weekend, heading to Bradley on Friday to take on the Braves, before traveling to Illinois State to tangle with the Redbirds on Saturday.

All-Time vs. the Braves
The Braves and the Salukis will meet for the 63rd time Friday in a series that dates back to 1975. SIU leads the all-time series, 44-18. The Salukis have won three-straight at Renaissance Coliseum and hold a 19-10 record at Bradley. In total, Southern has won seven-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 holds a 2-0 all-time record against the Braves from her previous stint at North Dakota State, and was 4-4 overall against current MVC teams during her seven seasons at NDSU.

Scouting the Braves
The Bradley Braves (7-7) come into Friday's showdown having won four-straight matches, and five of their last six. The Braves offense runs through outside hitter Erica Haslag, who's currently ranked third in the nation in kills (255) and attempts (704). In fact, she has taken 33.7% (704-of-2087) of her team's attempts so far this season. The Braves' defense is much improved, led by their libero, Yavianliz Rosado, who ranks fourth in the nation in total digs with 304. Bradley also leads the MVC in total blocks and has already matched its win total from a year ago.

All-Time vs. the Redbirds
The Salukis and the Redbirds will meet for the 85th time in a series that dates back to 1975. Illinois State holds a commanding 71-12-1 lead in the all-time series, which includes a 27-4 all-time record vs. the Salukis on their home floor. SIU, however, has won three of the last four meetings, which included a regular season sweep of the Redbirds a year ago. Illinois State got the last laugh though, as it defeated Southern, 3-0, in the first round of the MVC Tournament last year.

Scouting the Redbirds
The Redbirds (7-6) come into the conference portion of their schedule having won three-straight matches, and four of their last five. 2016 MVC Defensive Player of the Year Courtney Pence is back and currently ranks fourth in the nation in digs per set (6.19/set) and fifth in total digs (297). Illinois State middle hitter Jaelyn Keene is averaging 3.63 kills and 1.13 blocks per set.

Conference Openers
The Salukis hold a 12-13 record in conference openers since the Valley began prior to the 1992 season. Southern has won four of its last five conference openers, including last season's five-set win over UNI to open Valley play.

Strength of Schedule
Based on the win/loss record of its opponents, Southern's non-conference schedule was the second-toughest in the Valley. Missouri State ranks first in the conference, and 35th nationally, with its non-conference opponents amassing an 88-58 record. SIU was second in the league, and 51st nationally, with its non-conference opponents combining for a 72-51 record.

Active Career Leaders
Andrea Estrada's 1,205 career kills are the seventh-most in program history, and the 27th-most amongst active DI student-athletes. Her 1,165 career digs, meanwhile, rank her fifth in school history and are the 62nd most amongst active players. Abby Barrow's 914 career kills rank in the top-100 at No. 96.

First career digs
Gabriella Shepherd recorded the first three digs of her career this season, as she tallied two at Western Michigan and added another against Notre Dame.

Edelen reaches 500
Ashley Edelen recorded her 500th career dig against Notre Dame on Sept. 16. She now has 523 for her career and is currently averaging 4.17 digs per set, more than double her career average. She needs 36 digs to surpass her season-best total of 206, set a year ago.

86 shy of 1,000
Abby Barrow sits at 914 career kills and needs 86 to become the 15th Saluki to reach 1,000.

Fredriksson surpasses 600 career kills
Nellie Fredriksson tallied seven kills in SIU's loss to Michigan State on Sept. 16, which gave her 602 for her career.

Block Party
The Salukis recorded 11.5 blocks in a three-set loss to Central Michigan, which marked the third time that SIU has tallied 10-plus blocks in a match this season. Southern's 11.5 total blocks were its most in a three-set match this season, and the third-most by a Valley team in a three-set match this season.

Meeks named to All-Tournament Team
Kolby Meeks was named to the Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament Team after she hit .545 during SIU's three matches. The Norcross, Ga. native put down 20 kills on 33 attempts with just two hitting errors and was a force defensively, as she led the Salukis with 1.11 blocks per set. Meeks currently leads the Missouri Valley Conference, and is 31st in the nation, in hitting percentage at .403.

Second Career Double-Double
Abby Barrow recorded her second career double-double in the win over SEMO on Sept. 12. The Metamora, Ill. native did it all for the Salukis, as she finished with 16 kills, 12 digs and a career-best four service aces. She also hit a season-best .286 and added a pair of assists, which marked the first time since her freshman season (9/2/14 vs. Middle Tennessee) that she has recorded two assists in the same match.

Brown getting her swings
Patience Brown has put down five-plus kills in five of the seven matches she's appeared in, including a season-best nine in SIU's 3-2 win over SEMO on Sept. 12. She has also recorded at least one block in all seven matches this season.

Closing the Block
Nellie Fredriksson has significantly helped the Salukis close the block as of late. The Angelholm, Sweden native has tallied three blocks in three of SIU's last four matches, including four in back-to-back matches against SEMO and Central Michigan.

Hitting for a high average
The Salukis hit a season-best .311 in the win over SEMO on Sept. 12. It was the first time Southern hit .300 or better since Oct. 29, 2016 against Bradley. SIU was 7-1 last season when hitting .300 or better.

She's got the first pass
Edelen has started at libero in all 11 of SIU's matches this season, and has recorded double-digit digs in nine of Southern's 11 matches this season, which includes four matches in which she has amassed 20+ digs. Coming into the 2017 season, Edelen had only reached double figures in digs in 11 of her 80 career matches.

15+ kills by a freshman
Maggie Nedoma put down 15 kills on 35 swings against Arkansas State in just her fourth career match. She became the 16th Saluki since 2003 to record 15+ kills in a single match as a freshman, and the first to do so since Ginger Perinar put down 16 against Evansville on Nov. 19, 2016. Doing so in her fourth career match ties her for third with Andrea Estrada in terms of quickest to put down 15+ kills in a match at SIU. Estrada notched 16 kills at Middle Tennessee in her fourth career match on Sept. 2, 2014. Former Saluki standouts Haley Hann and Chandra Roberson each put down 15+ kills in their respective debuts. Hann tallied 15 kills vs. Austin Peay on Aug. 29, 2003, while Roberson followed with 16 kills vs. IUPUI three years later on Aug. 25, 2006.

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Players Mentioned

Abby Barrow

Patience Brown

Ashley Edelen

Andrea Estrada

Nellie Fredriksson

Kolby Meeks

Maggie Nedoma

Ginger Perinar

Gabriella Shepherd

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