Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
9-6 (1-0)
Illinois State University
8-5 (1-0)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 17 | 15 | 20 | 0 |
| Illinois State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Salukis fall in three sets at Illinois State
09/28/2019 | 8:33:00 | Women's Volleyball
The Southern Illinois University volleyball team dropped a three-set decision (25-19, 25-19, 25-20) to the Illinois State Redbirds Saturday, Sept. 28 in Missouri Valley Conference play inside Redbird Arena.
Redshirt junior Emma Baalman paced the Salukis, as she hit at a .462 clip with a team-best eight kills on 13 swings. Baalman was one of four Salukis with five-plus kills.
Illinois State, the MVC runner-ups from a year ago, attacked from all angles and found their pin hitters for kills whenever it seemed SIU got within striking distance. Kaylee Martin led all hitters with 14 kills while Sarah Kushner tallied 10 kills to help the Redbirds hit .296 as a team. The Salukis didn't do themselves many favors- Southern tallied 29 total errors, including seven service errors and five receive errors.Â
Fellow middle hitter Lindsey Paulsen did not record a hitting error, as she hit .357 with five kills on 14 attempts. Southern's middles, Paulsen and Baalman, combined to hit a robust .407. Defensively, Alayna Martin led the way with 10 digs to go along with 11 assists for her 28th career assist-dig double-double.Â
Neither side led by more than two early in the first set before the Redbirds used a 4-0 spurt to build a 14-8 lead. Southern cut its deficit down to three, 14-11 with three-straight points, highlighted by an ace by Abi Fitzpatrick. But that was as close as SIU could get in the opener. Southern again kept it close early in the second set, and used a 3-0 run to tie the frame at 11-all. The Redbirds, however, scored eight of the next nine points to take a lead that proved insurmountable.
The third set played out similarly to the previous two. The Salukis clawed their way back with a 3-0 spurt to tie the frame at 11-all. The score remained tied at 13-all before the Redbirds used an 8-1 run to build a seven point advantage. SIU got to within three, 23-20, on a back row kill by Katy Kluge, but Illinois State scored back-to-back points to take the set and the match.
The loss snaps a three-match winning streak for the Salukis and marks just the second time this season that Southern has been swept.
The Salukis return home to Davies Gym on Friday, Oct. 4 when they host the Drake Bulldogs. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
