Southern Illinois University
0-0,0-0MVC
SIUE
0-0,0-0OVC
Salukis down Cougars in five sets in exhibition tune-up
08/21/2021 | 5:06:00 | Women's Volleyball
The Southern Illinois University volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit to down the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars in five sets (25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-11) Saturday in SIU's lone exhibition match of the 2021 season.
The young Salukis, who were picked to finish 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, showed why that prediction could come back to haunt the rest of the league on Saturday. Of the nine Salukis who played all five sets, seven were underclassmen. Southern's youth made its presence felt all throughout the stat sheet against the Cougars, who went 10-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play during the spring season. Junior transfer Nataly Garcia led the way, as she finished with a team-high 17 kills on 47 swings and added 11 digs and two aces. Southern's freshman setter Anna Jaworski, meanwhile, hit .444 with five kills on an efficient nine swings to go along with 42 assists and seven digs. Southern's distribution was terrific thanks to Jaworski, as she was one of six different hitters with five or more kills.
Redshirt freshman Nsia Gittens, who played in four matches in the spring, joined Garcia in double figures with 13 terminations. Imani Hartfield hit .294 and put down eight kills to go along with six digs while Tatum Tornatta chipped in six kills. Alex Washington, who played primarily in the back row, chipped in nine digs and three kills while Katy Kluge added 10 digs and an ace.
After Southern took the opening set, 25-23, the Cougars rallied to take the second frame, 25-21. The Salukis appeared poised to go ahead, 2-1, after it built a 21-15 lead in the third frame but SIUE scored 10 of the final 12 points to take the frame. SIU-Carbondale wiped the slate clean and scored five of the first six points during a fourth set in which they never trailed. In the decisive fifth set, the Salukis used a 5-1 spurt to break a 5-all tie and never looked back to seal the exhibition win.
The Salukis open the 2021 season next weekend at the Southern Miss Classic. Southern will take on Louisiana-Lafayette, Southern Miss and Mississippi Valley State during the two-day event.
