Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
12-13,4-7MVC
Bradley University
9-12,5-5MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Southern Ill. | 23 | 23 | 19 | 0 |
Salukis fall to Braves
10/26/2019 | 7:59:00 | Women's Volleyball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University volleyball team fell to the Bradley Braves in three sets (23-25, 23-25, 19-25) Saturday night inside Davies Gym.
The Salukis (12-13, 4-7 MVC), who had won back-to-back conference matches for the first time since 2017 heading into Saturday's showdown with the Braves, had difficulty with first ball contacts all night, which made it difficult for Southern to remain in system. Bradley took advantage, as it squeaked out wins in set one and two before controlling set three for most of the frame to win the match. With the loss, Southern fell to 0-5 on Saturday's in conference play.
In a back-and-forth first set that featured 14 ties and six lead changes, Southern took a 23-22 lead on a kill by Emma Baalman but Bradley responded with three-straight points to take the set. In the second frame, Southern jumped out to an early five-point lead and held a 20-18 advantage after a kill by Alayna Martin. The Braves responded with a 6-1 spurt to get to set point, and after back-to-back points by the Salukis, dialed up a kill to take the set.
Southern led briefly in the third set, as it scored five of the first seven points in the frame. Bradley, however, rattled off six-straight points to take a lead it never relinquished.
SIU was led once again by Hannah Becker. The redshirt sophomore hit .412 with 15 kills and just one error to cap off a terrific week. The Polk City, Iowa native hit .408 in SIU's three matches this week and averaged a robust 4.50 kills per set. Saturday's match marked the 11th time this season that Becker has put down double-digit kills.
Rachel Maguire put down seven kills to go along with 18 assists and seven digs while Alayna Martin tallied six kills, 17 assists and 10 digs. Savannah Sheridan chipped in eight kills and three digs.
Southern's defensive efforts were piloted by Laura Rojas, who finished with a team-best 21 digs while Katy Kluge added 13 digs and an ace.
The Salukis are back in action on Friday, Nov. 1 when they travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa to take on the first-place Northern Iowa Panthers. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
