Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
11-13,3-7MVC
Illinois State University
13-8,6-3MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois St. | 18 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 1 |
| Southern Ill. | 25 | 14 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
Salukis knock off Redbirds in four sets
10/25/2019 | 10:03:00 | Women's Volleyball
Southern defeated Illinois State for the first time since 2016 Friday night.
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University volleyball team won for the second-straight match, as it defeated the Illinois State Redbirds, 3-1 (25-18, 14-25, 26-24, 25-23) Friday night inside Davies Gym.
The Salukis (12-12, 4-6 MVC) defeated the Redbirds (13-8, 6-3) for the first time since 2016 and avenged a three-set loss at Illinois State earlier this season.
"If you roll it back a month when we played at Illinois State, we got pretty well waxed," head coach Ed Allen said of his team's growth this season. "You can see a team that is not only growing and getting better, but one that is embracing what is required in order to be competitive."
Southern fired on all cylinders in the opening set, as it used an 8-1 run to turn a 7-4 deficit into a 12-8 lead. The Salukis kept their foot on the gas from there, as they hit .323 in the frame and never relinquished the lead. The Redbirds rebounded with an emphatic 25-14 win in set two. The Salukis, however, rallied from down 21-19 in set three to tie the frame at 24-all and used back-to-back errors by the Redbirds to take the set. Illinois State appeared as though it might force a fifth set after it claimed a 19-17 lead in set four, but Southern scored six of the next seven points to open up a 23-20 lead. Illinois State used a 3-1 spurt to get to within one, 24-23, but Becker's 20th kill of the match on set point gave the Salukis the hard-fought win.
"When you sit here and think about the success we've had to this point in the year, it has everything to do with the fact that we are able to let bad things go and are able to move on from them," Allen said. "I'm really pleased with how we are growing competitively. We are playing hard every night. The difference tonight is that we executed."
Becker was spectacular once again for the Salukis, as she hit a career-high .462 with a career-best 20 kills on 39 swings. It marked the fourth-straight match in which the redshirt sophomore has put down double-digit kills.
"Hannah has embraced being the player that we need for her to be," Allen said. "She's the most physical player that we have on the team and probably our most talented attacker. Over the course of the last few weeks, she's embraced the fact that this team will go as far as she will take us. Quite frankly, if she continues to do what she is doing, she's going to be one of the better outsides in this league as we go through the next two years."
Southern also enjoyed being in system throughout the match thanks, in part, to the efforts of libero Laura Rojas, who returned to the lineup for the second-straight match after missing the previous four with an injury. The Orlando, Fla. native dug out 17 balls and added two assists.
"You're getting a chance to see the impact that Laura has on this team," Allen said. "When we had our five-match skid, she was out for four of those five matches. What a difference having her back has made in our first ball contacts."
The Salukis also served tough, which was part of SIU's game plan to force the Redbirds to set their pin hitters rather than rely heavily on their middles as they have become accustom to doing. Southern tallied six aces, including a career-high tying four from Katy Kluge.
"I thought we did a great job of serving the ball," Allen said. "That is what created some pressure for Illinois State. They weren't able to run their middles as frequently. We also did a good job of executing the game plan, blocking the pins and adjusting to what we as coaches asked them to do throughout the match."
Rachel Maguire tallied eight kills, 20 assists and seven digs, while SIU's middles, Emma Baalman and Lindsey Paulsen, both hit above .350. Baalman hit at a .364 clip with four kills, three digs, two blocks and an ace while Paulsen hit .385 with seven kills and two blocks. Savannah Sheridan chipped in eight kills and three digs while Alayna Martin dished out 22 assists to go along with eight digs.
The Salukis will look to make it three-straight wins tomorrow when they host the Bradley Braves at 5 p.m. SIU defeated Bradley in five sets in Peoria to open conference play earlier this season.
"We told the team in the locker room- you get a chance to enjoy this win until you wake up tomorrow," Allen said. "Then you wake up tomorrow and it's time to understand that that was yesterday. You have another match that you're required to score 75 points in order to win and that's where the focus will be."
