Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
10-10,2-4MVC
Valparaiso University
8-12,3-3MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Ill. | 17 | 19 | 19 | 0 |
| Valparaiso | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Salukis fall at Valparaiso
10/12/2019 | 7:34:00 | Women's Volleyball
The Southern Illinois volleyball team fell to Valparaiso, 3-0 (17-25, 19-25, 19-25) in Missouri Valley Conference play inside ARC Arena Saturday night.Â
SIU's middles Emma Baalman and Lindsey Paulsen led the way for the Salukis offensively. The duo combined to hit .300, as Baalman hit at a .385 clip with five kills while Paulsen put down a team-best seven kills. Rachel Maguire added six kills, 10 assists and 12 digs, while Alayna Martin tallied six kills, 18 assists, 12 digs and two aces. With her third assist of the match in the first set, Martin became just the 12th Saluki to reach the 2,000 career assist milestone, and the first to join the elusive club since 2016.Â
The Salukis were led defensively by Kat Wagner. The sophomore from Noblesville, Ind. made her first start at libero this season and dug out 15 balls to go along with three assists. Abi Fitzpatrick chipped in 10 digs and an ace.
The Crusaders got off to a fast start, as they scored five of the first six points in the opening frame. Southern took advantage of Valpo's errors to tie the set at 12-all and later took their first lead of the frame at 15-14. The Crusaders, however, scored 11 of the next 13 points to take the opener.Â
The two teams engaged in an early side out battle to open the second set, as the frame began with seven ties before SIU used a 7-1 run to open up a 16-9 advantage. The Crusaders chipped away at the Saluki lead and eventually tied the score at 19-all. From there, Valparaiso scored six-straight points to take a 2-0 set score lead.Â
The Salukis opened the third set with three of the first four points and took their largest lead at 9-7. A 4-0 spurt for Valpo gave the Crusaders a lead that they never surrendered.Â
The Salukis return to Carbondale for a five-match homestand that begins when SIU hosts Evansville on Friday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m.Â
