Southern Illinois University
2-0,0-0MVC
SEMO
2-1,0-0OVC
Salukis Start Season 2-0 at SEMO Invitational
08/26/2023 | 6:22:00 | Women's Volleyball
Carbondale, Ill. - Southern Illinois defeated Southeast Missouri State Saturday afternoon in its second and final match of the SEMO Invitational. The Salukis start the season 2-0 with their four-set win over the Redhawks after taking down Central Michigan in the opener on Friday.
SIU was able to gain an advantage at the service line for the second-straight day as it totaled 12 aces to SEMO's two. Freshman Ema Stermenska recorded six including four in the second set that helped spark a 9-0 run for the Salukis to end the game and send them up 2-0. Brinley Burdette set a new season-high with three aces while Anna Jaworski added a pair as well.Â
Southern got to a quick start in the first set with 19 kills with a .340 hitting percentage. Tatum Tornatta led the Dawgs early with four kills in the first game.Â
For the second straight match, both Anna Jaworski (25) and Ema Stermenska (23) finished with 20+ assists. Jaworski also notched her first double-double of the season with 12 digs. Libero Claudia Bobb added five assists to go along with 16 digs, tying Nataly Garcia for a team-high.Â
Garcia led Southern Illinois with 18 kills and 16 digs for a new season-high in each. Seven of Garcia's 18 kills came in the final set as she helped put the Redhawks away 25-23 in the fourth. Annabelle Sulish was just behind Garcia with 17 kills, one shy of her career-high.Â
Sophomore Kelly Franklin was the third and final Saluki with double-digit kills as she set a new career-best with 10 kills while hitting .421. Franklin appeared in 16 matches a season ago for the Salukis with 22 kills on the year including a season-high nine against Alabama A&M.
Southern Illinois (2-0) will head to Charleston next weekend for the Charleston Southern Tournament. The Salukis will play three matches over the weekend beginning on Friday, September 1 with a doubleheader at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m against North Carolina A&T and Chattanooga.
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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