Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
2-0
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
4-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIUE | 25 | 19 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Southern Ill. | 23 | 25 | 20 | 17 | 1 |
Salukis fall to Cougars in four sets
09/06/2019 | 10:20:00 | Women's Volleyball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University volleyball team fell in four sets (23-25, 25-19, 20-25, 17-25) to SIU-Edwardsville Friday night to end day one of the Saluki Bash.
Southern battled throughout an entertaining first set that featured nine ties and three lead changes. The Cougars eventually drew first blood with a 25-23 win. The Salukis answered with a wire-to-wire win in the second set, but SIUE took sets three and four to seal the match.
The Salukis (2-3) had good balance offensively, as Southern had four hitters with at least seven kills, but could not establish a presence at the net to dissuade SIUE's attack. While the Cougars limited the Salukis to a .165 hitting percentage thanks in part to 11 total blocks, SIUC had just four blocks and SIUE hit at a .275 clip, which included hitting .300 or better in each of their three set wins.
"In both of our matches today, we have to do a better job of defending," first-year head coach Ed Allen said. "That starts at the net. We have to do a better job of executing our game plan as it relates to blocking. We also got a little bit lazy with our positioning and that effected our ability to stay in posture as we moved through the match."
Alex Washington led the Salukis with 11 kills, an ace and eight digs. Savannah Sheridan was also in double-figures, as she put down 10 kills on 28 swings. Rachel Maguire finished a kill shy of her second triple-double of the season, as she tallied nine kills, 18 assists and 14 digs. Hannah Becker, who played both middle and right side during the match, put down seven kills and added two block assists.
Defensively, SIU had three players with double-digit digs, led by libero Laura Rojas, who finished with 17. Alayna Martin added her 18th career assist-dig double-double, as she had 21 assists and 10 digs. Maguire (14 digs) was the third Saluki in double-figures.
Southern closes out play at the Saluki Bash tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. against Southeastern Louisiana. The Lions also split on Friday, as they fell to SIUE in five sets before sweeping Alabama A&M in the nightcap.
