Southern Illinois University
18-13,11-7MVC
#5 Evansville
16-18,11-7MVC
Salukis drop five-set thriller in MVC Quarterfinals
11/22/2022 | 1:01:00 | Women's Volleyball
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -Â The Southern Illinois volleyball team came up ust short in the MVC Quarterfinals on Monday night, losing to hosts Evansville in a five-set thriller (21-25, 24-26, 25-18, 25-23, 14-16). The Salukis season comes to a close with a 18-13 record, the most wins in a season under head coach Ed Allen in his four years.
The Salukis led for much of the second game but were unable to close on match point, leaving the door open for the Purple Aces to mount a four-point run and steal the set to go up 2-0. Despite Evansville having all the momentum in front of a very rambunctious home crowd, the Salukis were able to battle back and win the third set as the offense began to heat up, hitting .474 as a team in the frame.Â
SIU trailed 21-23 in the fourth-set but once again battled back to score four straight points and force a fifth set. Tatum Tornatta came up big for the Salukis as she accounted for a block and the final two kills during the SIU's four point comeback.Â
Southern fell behind 0-3 early in the fifth set and trailed for the entirety of the final frame until the Salukis once again battled back to score three-straight points and tie the set at 14-14. However, Evansville would go on to score the next two points and advance to the MVC Semifinals.Â
Imani Hartfield led the Salukis while tying her season-highs in both kills (17) and blocks (6). Hartfiled, who lead the Valley nearly hitting .400 on the season, hit for a match-high .454. Nataly Garcia, Tatum Tornatta, and Annabelle Sulish all finished the match with 15 kills a piece as Anna Jaworski paced the offense with 52 assists to go along with 16 digs. Libero Claudia Bobb chipped in a season-high eight assists to go along with 11 digs. In her final match as a Saluki, senior Bailey Neuberger had a career-high 17 digs to lead the Salukis, while also recording her 30th ace of the season.Â
The Salukis battled until the very end but were unable to finish down the stretch against a very hot Evansville team who has now won nine of its last ten matches. Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Salukis are able to walk away with many positives after becoming just the eighth team in Valley history to go from last place to a tournament qualifier. Southern increased the season total by 13 from the 2021 to the 2022 season.Â
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.
