Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
10-7
University of Northern Iowa
10-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNI | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Southern Ill. | 16 | 19 | 15 | 0 |
Salukis fall to Panthers
10/05/2019 | 10:38:00 | Women's Volleyball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University volleyball team fell to the Northern Iowa Panthers in straight sets (16-25, 19-25, 15-25) Saturday night inside Davies Gym.
The Salukis (10-8, 2-2 MVC), who had won four of their last five matches heading into Saturday's showdown with the defending MVC Champions, did little to slow down UNI's fierce attack. The Panthers (11-8, 5-0 MVC) hit a stout .319 led by Karlie Taylor, who put down a match-high 14 kills.
"I would've liked to have seen us block and handle first ball contacts better," SIU head coach Ed Allen said. "When you deal with an aggressive team like UNI you have to be able to block better than that. We were out-matched at almost every position on the floor and I think that was the difference in all three sets."
Southern led just once, which came early in the first set when SIU scored the first three points of the match. The Salukis kept within striking distance in all three sets, which included an entertaining second frame that saw SIU trim its deficit down to one on six separate occasions. But the Panthers attacked from all angles and served tough, which kept the Salukis out of system for most of the match.
SIU was led by Hannah Becker and Rachel Maguire. Becker tallied six kills while Maguire put down six kills to go along with 10 assists. Alayna Martin added four kills, 14 assists and nine digs while Savannah Sheridan chipped in five kills and three digs.
Southern's defensive efforts were piloted by Laura Rojas, who finished with a team-best 17 digs. Abi Fitzpatrick added eight digs and an ace, which marked the fourth-straight match tin which she has tallied at least one ace.
The Salukis are back in action on Friday, Oct. 11 when they travel to Chicago, Ill. to take on the Loyola Ramblers. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
