Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
4-3
Southeast Missouri State University
4-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Mo. St. | 25 | 22 | 25 | 16 | 15 | 2 |
| Southern Ill. | 20 | 25 | 13 | 25 | 17 | 3 |
Resilient Salukis win five set thriller over SEMO
09/10/2019 | 10:39:00 | Women's Volleyball
Southern has now won seven-straight matches against the Redhawks on its home floor.
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University volleyball team outlasted the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks in a five-set thriller, winning by the set scores of 20-25, 25-22, 13-25, 25-16, 17-15, Tuesday night in Davies Gym.
Southern overcame an early deficit, as SEMO took the opening set and later went ahead 2-1 after a 25-13 set three win. The Salukis wiped the slate clean and avenged the defeat with a 25-16 win in the fourth frame to force a decisive fifth set.
"The first thing I said after they came over (after the third set) is that there are a lot of things that we don't like about our sport, but one thing that we do like is that when it is over, you get to erase all the points and start over again," head coach Ed Allen said. "If this was basketball- you're still down a bunch of points after the third set. We did a great job of playing with that mentality."
In an exciting fifth set that featured 11 ties and six lead changes, Southern was the first to eight after a kill by Savannah Sheridan made it 8-5. SEMO rattled off four-straight points, however, to force SIU to burn its first timeout. The score teetered back and forth from there, with six of the 11 ties coming after that point.
With SEMO serving for match point at 15-14, Rachel Maguire and Lindsey Paulsen combined to stuff SEMO's Laney Malloy to tie the set at 15-all. Laura Rojas went back to serve and SIU used consecutive kills from Sheridan and Maguire to seal the win.
Maguire, who has earned two consecutive All-Tournament team honors after an impressive start to the 2019 season, had an off-day by her lofty standards. She finished with six kills, 16 assists and five digs but came through when her team needed her most- two of her six kills came in the fifth set, with no bigger swing than her kill on match point.
"Rachel had a tough match and didn't hit for nearly the percentage that she is capable of," Allen said. "But at the same time, she showed her toughness by coming through with the game-winning kill that we needed. Thats important because, regardless of how you're performing, when it comes down to one point it doesn't matter what you did in the past. It has to do with that moment. She did a brilliant job of that."
Rojas, Southern's libero, didn't miss a serve all evening, as she was a perfect 15-for-15 from the service line and finished with two aces and a team-best 24 digs.
"Laura did a beautiful job at the end of the match being consistent at the line and she put the ball in a good place for us to defend," Allen said.
The Salukis, who were without serving middle Emma Baalman due to injury, got solid performances from Hannah Becker and Lindsey Paulsen in her place.
Paulsen hit for a team-best .381 with nine kills and five blocks while Becker hit .333 with seven kills and three blocks. The duo combined to hit .358 and accounted for just two attack errors.
"Both of our middles hit for good percentages," Allen said. "Both were in the .300s. That's all you can ask. They did a great job of battling to stay in that .300 range."
Washington notched her fourth double-double of her young collegiate career, as she put down 12 kills and added a career-best 22 digs to go along with two aces and two blocks.
"Alex is a kid that will have to learn how to play five sets," Allen said. "She's a young player that hasn't had to play that long ever. She also hasn't had to have the responsibility thrust on her to the degree that it is at this level. We really need her, when it is time to take over, to do exactly that."
With the win, Southern improved to 4-3 on the season and is already approaching its win total (5) from a year ago. The win also marked Allen's first at Davies Gym as his two previous home wins as Saluki head coach came at the Banterra Center and marked Southern's seventh-straight win over SEMO on its home floor.
The Salukis return to the Banterra Center this weekend to host the Saluki Invitational. Southern will welcome IUPUI, Memphis and Alabama State for the two-day tournament that is set to begin on Friday.
