Southern Illinois University
20-12,11-7MVC
DePaul University
18-14,9-9Big East
Recap | Salukis Historic Season Ends at NIVC
11/29/2023 | 6:04:00 | Women's Volleyball
Carbondale, Ill. - Southern Illinois' season came to a close Wednesday evening as the Salukis fell to Big East opponent DePaul in four-sets (25-27, 21-25, 29-27, 24-26) in the opening round of the 2023 National Invitational Volleyball Championship.Â
The Salukis were led by seniors Nataly Garcia (19) and Tatum Tornatta (18) in kills as Garcia notched her 16th double-double of the season as she totaled a team-high 16 digs. Tornatta ended the season with double-digit kills in eight of SIU's last 11 matches as she set a new-season high with 18 against DePaul. Garcia and Tornatta both end their senior seasons ranking in the top-10 of program kills with Garcia at 8th with 1246 and Tornatta in 9th totaling 1178.Â
In a first set that had 12 ties and four lead changes, the Salukis came up just short after the Blue Demons were able to rally and score four of the last five points to end the frame. No side led by more than three points throughout the entire first set.Â
Carrying the momentum into the second game, DePaul got out to a 7-1 lead before a Saluki timeout halted the run. Southern was able to bounce back however and tie the set at 11-11 before another Blue Demon run gave DePaul the lead for the remainder of the set.Â
The Salukis put down 17 kills in both the first and third set as they total a .239 hitting percentage on the night with 62 kills outhitting DePaul as it finished with 58 kills while hitting .178. Although the Dawgs were efficient with their swings at the net, 10 service errors were too much for them to overcome as DePaul finished with just three while notching six aces.Â
Southern Illinois finishes the 2023 with 20 wins including the program's first MVC Tournament victory since 2013. The Salukis' trip to the NIVC is just the second in SIU history along with becoming the first team to total 20 or more wins since 2016. Â 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.
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