Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
8-6
Alabama State University
3-11
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama St. | 25 | 25 | 21 | 14 | 8 | 2 |
| Southern Ill. | 16 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Salukis rally for comeback win over Lady Hornets
09/14/2019 | 6:44:00 | Women's Volleyball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University volleyball team overcame a 2-0 deficit to stun Alabama State, 3-2 (16-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-14, 15-8) on the final day of the Saluki Invitational at the Banterra Center on Saturday.
The Salukis prevailed after a sluggish start in which they allowed the Lady Hornets to hit at a .343 clip in the first set. The second set went similarly. Alabama State broke a 15-all tie with six-straight points and held on to take a 2-0 lead into the third frame.
"When you get into situations where you lose the first two sets, the only mantra you have is "lets get to the fourth set", then its "lets get to the fifth set" and you just try to focus on a set at a time," head coach Ed Allen said.
Southern clawed its way back into the match thanks to an aggressive approach at the service line in set three. SIU tallied six aces in the frame, which included three-straight from Katy Kluge that gave the Salukis the lead for good.
SIU built upon its momentum in the fourth frame, as they hit .242, and more importantly, held Alabama State to a .000 hitting efficiency in the set with four blocks to force a decisive fifth set. Once there, SIU took control, as a kill by Rachel Maguire on match point gave Southern a hard-fought, 3-2 victory.
It was the first time that Southern has rallied from an 0-2 deficit since doing so to defeat Evansville on Sept. 29, 2017. It also improved SIU to 5-5 on the season, which matched their win total from a year ago and was Southern's fourth-straight five set match- their longest streak of five-setters since 1988.
"There has been a tremendous movement in understanding how to play the game at a higher level," Allen said. "We've got a long way to go. The good news is that we have a while for that to happen- we just need to stay positive and continue to work hard. Inside of three weeks, we've won as many matches as we did all of last year."
Maguire has been the straw that stirs the drink for the Salukis offensively, as she's done it all. The Bloomington, Ill. native notched her third-straight triple-double, as she tallied 13 kills, 19 assists, 10 digs and a pair of aces. In doing so, she tied Meg Viggars (2015) for the longest stretch of triple-doubles in program history.
Through 10 matches, the junior setter/hitter has five triple-doubles- one off of Viggars school record of six triple-doubles, set in 2015.
"Rachel has done a solid job of fulfilling the biggest role on the team, which is to do every skill possible, including setting," Allen said.
Lindsey Paulsen took home All-Tournament honors after she hit .333 with 11 kills and four blocks. The redshirt junior hit .283 for the tournament, put down double-digits kills in two of SIU's three matches, including a career-high 15 kills against IUPUI, and led the Salukis with 12 blocks (.8/per set).
"Lindsey has done a nice job and has hit for high percentages fairly consistently," Allen said. "She's now starting to find herself in the right place from a blocking perspective."
Speaking of blocking, Southern has out-blocked its opponent in each of the last two matches and tallied nine blocks for the second-straight match.
SIU's back row defensive efforts were led by Abi Fitzpatrick, who made her collegiate debut in the win over Alabama State. The freshman from Chestnut, Ill. dug out 17 balls and added her first career ace.
"Abi hasn't been able to practice for most of the last two weeks," Allen said. "We put her in today and she responded incredibly well."
Fitzpatrick was one of five Salukis to notch double-digits digs, as Laura Rojas led the way with 18, while Alayna Martin (13), Katy Kluge (10) and Maguire (10) all reached double figures.
The Salukis are back at Davies Gym on Tuesday, Sept. 17 when they host the UT Martin Skyhawks. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
Saluki Invitational All-Tournament Team
Krsyta Medearis, Alabama State
Hannah Flowers, Memphis (MVP)
Andrea O'Connor, Memphis
Kaitlyn Gehler, Memphis
Maddie Dean, IUPUI
Corrissa Remter, IUPUI
Lindsey Paulsen, SIU
