Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Northern Arizona University
Saluki Volleyball Heads West for Lumberjack Classic
09/06/2018 | 12:01:00 | Women's Volleyball
Southern will take on NAU, CSUN Northridge and No. 8 Florida during the two-day tournament.
The Southern Illinois University volleyball team heads west to Flagstaff, Ariz. for the Lumberjack Classic. The Salukis are set to take on Northern Arizona (1:30 p.m.) and CSUN (7 p.m.) on Friday, Sept. 7 before tangling with the No. 8 Florida Gators at 11 a.m. CST on Saturday, Sept. 8.
Links
NAU vs. SIU | Live Stats | Live Video
CSUN vs. SIU | Live Stats
Florida vs. SIU | Live Stats
Scouting Northern Arizona
Northern Arizona has won five of its last six matches and is 5-2 this season after posting a 13-15 record a year ago. The Lumberjacks return three all-conference players from a year ago in Kaylie Jorgenson, Abby Akin and Heaven Harris. Akin and Harris have both earned back-to-back All-Tournament nods to open the 2018 season, as Akin is currently fifth in the Big Sky in hitting percentage (.329) while Harris is ranked ninth (.282) in the category.
All-time vs. NAU
The Salukis will take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on Friday in what will be the fourth meeting between the two schools. The Lumberjacks lead the all-time series, 2-1. The Salukis won the first-ever meeting, 3-1 on Sept. 26, 1980 but Northern Arizona has won back-to-back matches over Southern, including a five-set win at Miami (Ohio) a year ago.
Scouting Cal State Northridge
The Matadors are 2-4 on the season after posting wins over Sacramento State and North Texas. CSUN was picked to finish seventh in the Big Sky under the direction of 17th-year head coach Jeff Stork. The Matadors returned four starters from 2017 including two-time first-team All-Big West Aeryn Owens. Owens is averaging a robust 4.08 kills per set and hitting at a .288 clip from the outside.
All-time vs. CSUN
This will mark the first-ever meeting between SIU and CSUN. The Salukis are winless in five all-time meetings against Big West opponents, with Friday's matchup marking the first time since 2014 that the Salukis have taken on a Big West opponent.Â
Scouting Florida
The Gators fell to Nebraska, 3-1 in last season's NCAA Title match, which marked the second time in program history that Florida has advanced to the title match. The Gators graduated four senior starters from last year's team that finished #2 in the AVCA Top-25 poll but welcomed freshman Thayer Hall, who was the No. 1 recruit in 2017 and was named the Gatorade National Volleyball POY. The Gators, who are currently ranked seventh in the AVCA poll, opened the season by taking on three-straight ranked opponents, which included a four-set win over No. 2 Nebraska. Hall leads the team with a 4.14 kills per set average.Â
All-time vs. Florida
The Gators and the Salukis will meet for just the second time, and the first time since 1985. Southern defeated Florida in five-sets in '85 behind 19 kills from Pat Nicholson. The Salukis are 34-28 all-time vs. current SEC schools, with their last win over a SEC program coming on Aug. 26, 2011 in a five-set win at Mississippi State.
All-time vs. ranked opponents
Florida will mark the 50th ranked opponent that the Salukis have faced since 1982. This will be the fifth-straight season that Southern has faced a ranked opponent. The Salukis last win over a ranked opponent came in 1987, when SIU defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions in three-sets on Sept. 25. Southern's only other win over a ranked opponent came on Oct. 9, 1982 in a three-set win at No. 19 Missouri. The Salukis last faced an opponent ranked in the top-10 in 2003 (vs. UNI) and it will mark the 13th time in program history that Southern has taken on an opponent ranked in the top-10.Â
On a tear
Maggie Nedoma has earned All-Tournament nods on back-to-back weekends to open the 2018 campaign and continues to be a force offensively. She put down 10 kills in SIU's mid-week match against SEMO, which marked the seventh-straight match in which she has reached double figures. The Brook Park, Ohio native is the first Saluki since Jessica Whitehead in 2011 to open a season with 10-plus kills in seven-straight matches. Next up for Nedoma is Jennifer Berwanger, who ran off 11-straight matches with 10-plus kills to open the 2009 campaign.
Aced the offseason
After not recording an ace during her freshman season, Nedoma worked all offseason on her jump serve that she has since added to her repertoire. She is currently averaging an ace per contest this season and has recorded at least one in five-straight matches.
Established a new personal-best
Kat Wagner has started the first seven matches of her collegiate career and most recently tallied a career-best 13 digs at SEMO on Sept. 4. It marked the fourth time this season that the freshman outside hitter has finished with 10-plus digs.
Solid Debut
Jill Kavalauskas made her collegiate debut when she entered into the third set against SEMO on Sept. 4. She put down three kills on her first three swings and is currently hitting 1.000 on the season.
Double-doubles
Alayna Martin has four assist-dig double-doubles this season and has now recorded 15 double-doubles during her Saluki career. With her next double-double, Martin will crack the top-20 in school history in the category as she is currently tied for 21st.Â
