Southern Illinois University
Saint Louis
Salukis Defeat SLU in Exhibition Match
08/19/2023 | 4:50:00 | Women's Volleyball
Carbondale, Ill. - Southern Illinois volleyball returned to Davies Gym Saturday afternoon for an exhibition match with Saint Louis University before officially beginning the regular season next week at the SEMO Invitational. The Salukis defeated the Billikens 3-1 after getting out to a 2-0 start to begin the match.Â
Preseason All-MVC nominee Nataly Garcia led the Salukis with 14 kills and a .407 hitting percentage. Tatum Tornatta was just behind Garcia with nine kills, followed by Imani Hartfield and Annabelle Sulish with eight each. Southern finished with 45 kills and a .244 hitting percentage, nearly the teams' average from a season ago.Â
Hartfield led Southern's defensive effort at the net with three total blocks, followed by two a piece from Tornatta and Averi Vanderzille.Â
Anna Jaworski dished out 21 assists to lead SIU, with freshman Ema Stermenska finishing with 15 of her own.Â
The Salukis will kick off the 2023 regular season on Friday, August 25 at 2 pm against Central Michigan in the SEMO Invitational. Following Friday's season opener, SIU will take on host SEMO Saturday afternoon at 3 pm.
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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