Southern Illinois University
Lindenwood University
Salukis Make Home Debut Wednesday Against Lindenwood
09/05/2023 | 12:31:00 | Women's Volleyball
Carbondale, Ill. - Southern Illinois makes its debut in Davies Gym this Wednesday, September 6 as the Lindenwood Lions come to Carbondale for a midweek matchup. The Salukis are coming off of a 2-1 weekend at the Charleston Southern Tournament and currently hold a 4-1 record, the team's best five-match start under head coach Ed Allen.Â
Details:Â
Who: Lindenwood University
Time: 6pm
Date: Wednesday, September 6
Where: Davies Gymnasium / Carbondale, Ill.
Quick Hits:
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The Salukis are returning to Davies Gym with one of their best starts over the past decade.Â
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Coming off a 12-17 season in 2022 in their first season in the Ohio Valley Conference and as a Division-I program, the Lions are off to a 4-2 start in 2023.
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Lindenwood has gone 2-1 in each of their first two tournaments, while splitting against fellow Valley opponents. UIC took down Lindenwood in three-sets before the Lions most recently defeated Indiana State 3-1 at the Lindenwood Invitational.
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Wednesday's match marks the first meeting between the two programs.
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The Salukis began the season 4-0 before taking their first loss of the season to Charleston Southern in their most recent match.Â
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Sophomores Kelly Franklin and Cecilia Bulmahn were named to the Charleston Southern All-Tournament team.
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Bulmahn led the Salukis with 35 digs and just two errors between the three matches.
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Kelly Franklin recorded a pair of career-highs at the Charleston Southern Tournament with 11 kills against North Carolina A&T followed by 15 in the win over Chattanooga. In four matches played, Franklin is averaging 2.69 kills per set with a .366 hitting percentage.Â
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Through the first five matches, Southern Illinois is hitting .223 with four different Salukis ranking in the top-25 in the MVC in kills per set. (Nataly Garcia, Kelly Franklin, Annabelle Sulish, and Tatum Tornatta).
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Nataly Garcia currently leads the team with 66 kills (3.14 per set) and has tallied double-digit kills in four of the first five matches.
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After leading the Valley in aces in 2022, SIU has found success at the service line once again to start the new season. The Salukis are averaging nearly two aces per set (1.95) which currently ranks second in the conference.
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Freshman Ema Stermanska leads Southern with 11 aces (0.55 per set), ranking her fifth in the Missouri Valley.
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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.
