Southern Illinois University
7-4,0-0MVC
Southeast Missouri State
4-7,0-0OVC
Salukis down Redhawks for third-straight win
09/16/2022 | 9:45:00 | Women's Volleyball
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois University volleyball team won its third-straight match Friday night with a four-set victory (25-18, 25-20, 22-25, 25-19) over the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks to close out day one of the Saluki Invitational.
The Salukis, winners of three straight and six of their last seven, persevered through adversity to down the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference champions in four sets to set up a winner-takes-all match against Bellarmine tomorrow at 1 p.m. for the Saluki Invitational title.
Southern set the tone in the win over SEMO, as it roared back from an early 8-3 deficit in the first set to tie the frame at 11-all. Once there, Southern scored four of the next five points to take a commanding lead. In the second set, SIU scored seven of the first nine points and led by at least three for the remainder of the set. The Redhawks cut their deficit to two briefly at 19-17, but the Salukis answered with three of the next four points to put the set out of reach. SEMO got some revenge in the third frame, as they used a 3-1 spurt to break a 16-all tie that allowed it to gain the separation necessary to extend the match to a fourth set. The Salukis regained their composure in the fourth frame, as they broke a 7-all tie and never trailed after that to take the set and the match.
The Salukis had three hitters put down double-figure kills in the win. Imani Hartfield led the way, as she hit .462 with 13 kills and four blocks. Nataly Garcia recorded her third kill-dig double-double of the season with 12 kills and 11 digs while Tatum Tornatta put down 11 kills and added a career-high six digs. Ceci Bulmahn finished a kill shy of a kill-dig double-double of her own, as she tallied nine kills and 14 digs.
Southern's defensive effort was impressive in the victory. SIU held SEMO to a .120 hitting percentage, which marked the fifth-straight match in which SIU has held its opponent below .200. The Salukis also recorded nine total blocks, their most in a four-set match this season and second-most in a match of any length and tallied a season-high 79 digs.
Career-Highs
• Several Salukis set career-highs in the win over the Redhawks.
• Claudia Bobb finished with a career-high 21 digs.
• Brinley Burdette set or tied career-bests in kills (6), attempts (14), aces (4) and blocks (4).
• Annabelle Sulish tied her career-high with 14 digs.
Notable Numbers
4 | Four Salukis finished with double-digit digs, which included Bobb's career-high 21 digs.
5 | Five straight matches in which Bailey Neuberger has served at least one ace.
7 | 7 different Salukis recorded a kill in the win.
8 | SIU served eight aces in the win over SEMO, which marked the fourth-straight match in which Southern has served seven or more aces.
Up Next
The Salukis close out their home invitational tomorrow against Bellarmine at 1 p.m.
