Southern Illinois University
#5 Evansville
Salukis set to take on hosts Evansville in MVC Quarterfinals
11/20/2022 | 10:35:00 | Women's Volleyball
The Southern Illinois volleyball team will begin its postseason journey Monday, November 21 as the fourth-seeded Salukis take on the hosts Evansville Purple Aces. SIU is just the eighth school in Valley history to make the tournament after finishing in last place a season ago.
The 2022 MVC Tournament marks SIU's 20th appearance in the postseason and the program's first since 2016.Â
The Salukis defeated the Purple Aces in both regular season meetings, only dropping one set between the two wins. In the first match between the two squads SIU hit .396 as a team, led by Nataly Garcia's 14 kills. The second match was very competitive with three sets being decided by two points, despite Southern winning in four (25-23, 28-30, 25-23, 25-19). The Salukis were once again led by Garcia with 18 kills while Annabelle Sulish (16), Tatum Tornatta (14), and Imani Hartfield (10) all recorded double-digit kill numbers as well.Â
Southern Illinois has only faced off with Evansville in the MVC Tournament one time prior to Monday's matchup with the Salukis winning 3-1 in the 1998 quarterfinals. SIU leads the all-time series 47-19 dating back to 1983.
Evansville defeated Bradley in four-sets on Sunday afternoon in the opening round of the Valley Tournament. All-MVC First Team recipient Guila Cardona led the Purple Aces with a match-high 25 kills. With the win over Bradley, the Purple Aces have now won four-straight matches and eight of their last nine with the only lose coming to Southern Illinois in Carbondale. Furthermore, Evansville has been impressive on its home court this season with an 8-4 record during the regular season.Â
Monday's match against the Purple Aces will be the first of a two-match day at Meeks Family Field House with the winner taking on the top-seeded Northern Iowa Panthers on Tuesday afternoon. First serve is set for 3 p.m. on Monday.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Volleyball, on Instagram at @SIU_Volleyball and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiVolleyball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
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