Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Illinois State University
Volleyball opens second half of Valley play at Illinois State/Bradley
10/18/2018 | 12:24:00 | Women's Volleyball
All-Time vs. Illinois State
The Salukis and the Redbirds will meet for the 88th time in a series that dates back to 1975. Illinois State holds a commanding 74-12-1 lead in the all-time series, which includes a 30-4 all-time record vs. the Salukis on its home floor. The Redbirds have won three-straight in the series, including a 3-0 sweep of the Salukis on Sept. 22.
Scouting the Redbirds
The Redbirds are currently alone in second place in the conference standings and are off to their best start to conference play since 2014. Illinois State is holding opponents to a .156 hitting percentage, the 17th-lowest in the nation, and reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Year Courtney Pence ranks sixth in the nation in digs per set (5.79/set).
All-Time vs. the Braves
The Braves and the Salukis will meet for the 66th time Saturday in a series that dates back to 1975. SIU leads the all-time series, 45-20 and have won four-straight at Bradley, including a 3-1 win over the Braves on Sept. 22, 2017. Southern's last loss in Peoria, Ill. came during the 2013 season, when Bradley swept the regular season series. The Salukis would get their redemption that season, as Southern defeated Bradley, 3-1 in the conference tournament for what was their first MVC Tournament win since 2002.
Scouting the Braves
The Braves have won 10-straight matches on their home floor and open the second-half of Missouri Valley Conference play in third place. Bradley has already won six more matches then last season and their six-win improvement is their largest single-season improvement since 2005. Bradley currently leads the conference, and is ranked fourth nationally, in digs per set (18.82/set) and are holding opponents to a .158 hitting percentage, which is the 20th-best mark nationally. Leading the way for the Braves defensively is libero Yavianliz Rosado, who ranks ninth in the nation in digs (443) and tenth in digs per set (5.68/set).Â
Defensive Spark
Keera Clarke received the starting nod at libero at Indiana State (10/6) and has provided Southern's back row defense with a spark. Clarke has dug out at least 10 balls in all three starts, including a career-best 18 digs against Drake. The Santa Monica, Calif. native averaged a team-best 4.14 digs per set last weekend.
Libero Time
Three different Salukis, Alison Thomas, Laura Rojas and Keera Clarke have donned the libero jersey at various times this season. Thomas is second on the team in digs (168) and has eight double-digit dig performances this year, including a career-high 25 digs in SIU's win over IUPUI (8/24). Rojas made her first career start at SEMO (9/4) and recorded a career-best 14 digs vs. CSUN (9/7) while Clarke has five double-dig outputs this season, including 16 in back-to-back matches vs. Arkansas State and Central Arkansas.
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Patience Brown was nearly unstoppable hitting for the Salukis, as she took 33 swings and recorded just one error for a .485 hitting percentage. The senior middle hitter hit .462 against Northern Iowa with six kills and followed with her fifth double-digit kill performance of the season against Drake, as she put down 11 kills on 20 swings for a .500 hitting percentage. It marked the fifth time in her two seasons as a Saluki that the Bloomington, Ill. native has hit at or above a .500 clip.
Leaving her mark
Maggie Nedoma has already left her mark on the 2018 season. Her 22-kill performance against UT Martin (8/25) ranks eighth for kills during a single match in the Missouri Valley Conference (five sets). The sophomore opposite hitter has recorded 15 double-digit kill performances and she currently ranks sixth in the MVC with a 3.41 kills per set average. Her 249 kills, meanwhile, have surpassed her freshman year total and are the most by a MVC underclassmen so far this season.
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Salukis At The Net
Southern's middles Patience Brown and Emma Baalman are leading the Saluki defensive effort at the net, as Brown's 49 total blocks are most on the team while Baalman's 48 total blocks rank second. Brown also leads the team with nine solo blocks. Brown's eight blocks against CSUN (9/7) are tied for the most in a four-set Missouri Valley Conference match this season.Â
Martin Making Her Mark
Alayna Martin continues to climb higher in SIU's record books for career assists. Her next assist will be the 1,300th of her career and she is needs 28 assists to pass Dawn Thompson (1985-88) for 14th all-time in school history. The junior setter is also 18 digs shy of 500 for her career.
2018 Schedule Breakdown
The Salukis have only five more home matches. Southern will host travel partner Missouri State on Oct. 27 before welcoming Indiana State and Evansville on Nov. 2-3 for Alumnae Weekend. SIU closes out the 2018 regular season on Nov. 16-17 against Loyola and Valparaiso.
Academic Culture
SIU head coach Kari Thompson has instilled a culture that promotes success both on and off the court and it has been evident in the continued academic success of the program. Southern posted a 3.41 grade point average during her first season to garner an AVCA Team Academic Award and placed eight on the MVC Honor Roll.
Lots of New Faces
Southern added 10 newcomers in the offseason, of which eight are freshman and two are transfers. The 20-person roster is the largest for the Salukis in the NCAA-era (since 1982) and their eight freshmen are the third-most in school history. Only the 2003 (11) and 2013 (9) Salukis had more first-years on their opening day rosters. The 2013 Salukis went 20-13 and advanced to the MVC Championship match.
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