Saturday, August 27
Carbondale, IL
1 p.m.
Southern Illinois University
0-2,0-0MVC
1
vs
3
Grambling State
1-1,0-0SWAC
1
2
3
4
F
Grambling
15
25
25
25
3
Southern Ill.
25
18
23
18
1
Photo by: Tom Weber
Salukis fall in four sets to Lady Tigers
08/27/2022 | 4:39:00 | Women's Volleyball
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois University volleyball team dropped a four-set decision to the Grambling State Lady Tigers (25-15, 18-25, 23-25, 18-25) on the final day of the Saluki Bash.
The Salukis hit .500 in the opening frame to cruise to a 25-15 set one win but were marred by inconsistency from that point forward. Southern did all it could to remedy the situation during the match, as head coach Ed Allen brought Annabelle Sulish and Bailey Neuberger off the bench to shore up first ball contacts and switched from running a 6-2 offense to a 5-1 in an unsuccessful attempt to spark a rally. Sulish was one of four freshmen to see significant playing time Saturday as fellow first-years Brinley Burdette, Claudia Bobb and Ceci Bulmahn all started the match for the Salukis.
"We are playing four freshmen so we are seeing quite a bit of inconsistency at this point and are trying to figure out whether to run a 5-1 offense or a 6-2," Allen said. "We went to a 5-1 at the end of today's match and like the consistency that one setter brings our offense as opposed to two."
The Salukis, who led the SIUE Cougars, 2-1 but fell in five sets Friday night in their season opener, struggled at times to remain in system while Grambling State grew stronger with each bit of momentum that it accrued.
"We carried a lot of weight over from last night's match after we lost a five-setter that we felt like we should have won in four sets and we carried that over to today's match and that certainly didn't help us," Allen said. "We didn't do a very good job of bettering the ball with each contact."
Despite the loss, Allen was impressed by his freshmen core. A day after tying the school record for most kills in a season debut by a freshman with 15, Bulmahn put down 10 kills on Saturday while Sulish entered in the second set and added seven kills and hit at a .333 clip.
"Ceci has done a good job so far with her ball control and she takes care of the ball," Allen said. "She plays very consistent. In both matches so far she has shown an ability to hit for a high percentage. I was also pleased with Annabelle's performance off the bench for us today."
Tatum Tornatta led Southern's offensive efforts as she hit a career-high .585 with a team-best 15 kills. Nsia Gittens chipped in eight kills while Claudia Bobb paced SIU's defense with 11 digs. Anna Jaworski dished out 33 assists to go along with five digs.
The Salukis will have a quick turnaround as they play again at UT Martin on Tuesday, Aug. 30. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
The Salukis hit .500 in the opening frame to cruise to a 25-15 set one win but were marred by inconsistency from that point forward. Southern did all it could to remedy the situation during the match, as head coach Ed Allen brought Annabelle Sulish and Bailey Neuberger off the bench to shore up first ball contacts and switched from running a 6-2 offense to a 5-1 in an unsuccessful attempt to spark a rally. Sulish was one of four freshmen to see significant playing time Saturday as fellow first-years Brinley Burdette, Claudia Bobb and Ceci Bulmahn all started the match for the Salukis.
"We are playing four freshmen so we are seeing quite a bit of inconsistency at this point and are trying to figure out whether to run a 5-1 offense or a 6-2," Allen said. "We went to a 5-1 at the end of today's match and like the consistency that one setter brings our offense as opposed to two."
The Salukis, who led the SIUE Cougars, 2-1 but fell in five sets Friday night in their season opener, struggled at times to remain in system while Grambling State grew stronger with each bit of momentum that it accrued.
"We carried a lot of weight over from last night's match after we lost a five-setter that we felt like we should have won in four sets and we carried that over to today's match and that certainly didn't help us," Allen said. "We didn't do a very good job of bettering the ball with each contact."
Despite the loss, Allen was impressed by his freshmen core. A day after tying the school record for most kills in a season debut by a freshman with 15, Bulmahn put down 10 kills on Saturday while Sulish entered in the second set and added seven kills and hit at a .333 clip.
"Ceci has done a good job so far with her ball control and she takes care of the ball," Allen said. "She plays very consistent. In both matches so far she has shown an ability to hit for a high percentage. I was also pleased with Annabelle's performance off the bench for us today."
Tatum Tornatta led Southern's offensive efforts as she hit a career-high .585 with a team-best 15 kills. Nsia Gittens chipped in eight kills while Claudia Bobb paced SIU's defense with 11 digs. Anna Jaworski dished out 33 assists to go along with five digs.
The Salukis will have a quick turnaround as they play again at UT Martin on Tuesday, Aug. 30. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
Team Stats
GSU
SIU
Kills
43
51
Errors
14
25
Attempts
102
119
Hitting %
.284
.218
Points
60
65
Assists
42
48
Aces
9
7
Blocks
8
7
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
2
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
Defensive Specialist
/ Women's VolleyballOutside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Middle Hitter
/ Women's VolleyballOutside Hitter
/ Women's Volleyball
Setter
/ Women's Volleyball
Outside Hitter
/ Women's VolleyballOutside Hitter
/ Women's VolleyballOutside Hitter
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