Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
13-14 (5-8MVC)
Drake University
9-17 (3-10MVC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIU | 25 | 19 | 26 | 25 | 3 |
| Drake | 19 | 25 | 24 | 19 | 1 |
Salukis complete season sweep of Bulldogs with 3-1 win
11/02/2019 | 8:35:00 | Women's Volleyball
Southern's 91 digs are its most in a four-set match since 2011.
The Southern Illinois University volleyball team defeated Drake, 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 26-24, 25-19) Saturday night in Missouri Valley Conference play inside the Knapp Center.
The Salukis (13-14, 5-8 MVC) completed the season sweep of the Bulldogs for the first time since 2016 behind good distribution offensively and a tenacious defense that kept the ball off the floor and extended rallies. Four different Salukis finished with double-digit kills and five tallied at least nine terminations. Defensively, Southern tallied 91 digs in the four-set win- its most in a four-set match since Sept. 24, 2011.
Southern fell behind early in the first set, 11-8, but scored seven-straight points with Laura Rojas at the service line to build a lead it never relinquished. In a second set that featured eight ties and two lead changes, the Bulldogs scored nine of the final 12 points to break a 16-all tie and knot the set score at 1-all.
In a see-saw third set, neither side led by more than three and it was Drake who broke a 23-all tie to get to set point first. Southern, however, responded with three-straight points, including a double block by Lindsey Paulsen and Rachel Maguire on set point to stun the Bulldogs and seize momentum. The Salukis led from start to finish in the fourth frame, as Southern scored five of the first six points and led by as many as nine to seal the win.
Rachel Maguire notched her 10th triple-double of the season with 10 kills, 27 assists and 12 digs. Her 10 triple-doubles not only lead the nation, but it ties her with Meg Viggars for the most in a career in program history. Fellow setter Alayna Martin put down double-digit kills for the first time in conference play in her career and notched her second kill-assist double-double of the season. She finished with 10 kills, 29 assists and six digs.
Hannah Becker put down double-digit kills for the seventh-straight match with a team-best 18 kills while Savannah Sheridan was the fourth Saluki in double figures with 11 kills and seven digs. Emma Baalman hit at a .368 clip with nine kills, two aces and two blocks.
Defensively, Laura Rojas set a career-high with 32 digs to go along with five assists and two aces. Her 32 digs are the most by a Saluki in a four-set match since Bailey Yeager tallied 33 digs at Drake on Oct. 26, 2012.Â
Rojas was one of four Salukis to record double-digit digs. She was joined by Abi Fitzpatrick (17), Katy Kluge (12) and Maguire (12).Â
The Salukis return to Davies Gym for their final two home matches of the 2019 season. Southern hosts Valparaiso on Friday, Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. and will then take welcome Loyola for Senior Night on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 5 p.m.Â
