Saturday, October 11
Carbondale, IL
5 PM
Southern Illinois University
8-11,2-4MVC
2
vs
3
Valparaiso
14-5,5-1MVC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Valparaiso
23
24
25
25
15
3
Southern Ill.
25
26
22
13
9
2
Photo by: Makayla Ward
Southern suffers reverse sweep to Valpo as Franklin sets career high
10/11/2025 | 8:31:00 | Women's Volleyball
CARBONDALE, Ill. -Â Kelly Franklin set a career-high with 23 kills, but Southern Illinois could not close out Valparaiso, who came back down two sets to none Saturday night in Davies Gym.
Franklin was the engine that fueled Southern's upset bid early, putting together an outstanding set one where she collected 10 kills just in that frame. The teams battled back and forth, but two kills from the Lake Worth, Fla., native gave SIU the set win.
Southern trailed for just one point in set two, but could not stretch a lead larger than three as the Beacons kept pace the entire way. After the match was tied 24-24, SIU came up clutch again as Annabelle Sulish and Cecilia Bulmahn each put down a kill to give the Salukis a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Set three told a similar story to the prior two as the teams were tied 12-12 before Valparaiso broke away with a 5-0 run, a sequence that would serve as a sign of things to come. Southern kept the match within striking distance, but the Beacons stayed in front to win set three 25-22.
"Offensively we were really good for three sets, but Valpo's offense turned on in the fourth and fifth sets and they also started blocking better," Head Coach Brittany Harry said. "We just couldn't get the same offensive flow going like we had in the first and second sets of the match."
Valpo never trailed in set four, and after leading 12-6 at the first timeout, the deficit never got closer than five, and the Salukis quickly found themselves in a winner-take-all fifth set.
Franklin got her groove back, tallying four of SIU's first six points. Southern's early lead was short-lived, as Valpo put together a 5-1 run as the teams switched sides. From there, they continued to dominate using a balanced attack, scoring seven of the last eight points to complete the reverse sweep.
The Beacons had four players reach double-digit kills in the comeback effort, including Jordyn Gove, who had four of the final six points in set five.
Harry complimented the play of her senior outside hitters, but wants to use the upcoming midweek match to correct certain areas before continuing conference play.
"I thought Annabelle and Kelly had really good matches for us, but as a team we really need to clean up some minor things before the non-con match at SEMO Tuesday," Harry said.
Sulish added 14 kills to her ledger as she looks to continue climbing the ranks of Southern Illinois' all-time kills list.
UP NEXT
SIU will begin a five-match road trip with a midweek contest at Southeast Missouri State Tuesday in Cape Girardeau.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X (@SIU_Volleyball), Instagram (@SIU_Volleyball) and Facebook (SalukiVolleyball). Fans can also download the Salukis Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Franklin was the engine that fueled Southern's upset bid early, putting together an outstanding set one where she collected 10 kills just in that frame. The teams battled back and forth, but two kills from the Lake Worth, Fla., native gave SIU the set win.
Southern trailed for just one point in set two, but could not stretch a lead larger than three as the Beacons kept pace the entire way. After the match was tied 24-24, SIU came up clutch again as Annabelle Sulish and Cecilia Bulmahn each put down a kill to give the Salukis a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Set three told a similar story to the prior two as the teams were tied 12-12 before Valparaiso broke away with a 5-0 run, a sequence that would serve as a sign of things to come. Southern kept the match within striking distance, but the Beacons stayed in front to win set three 25-22.
"Offensively we were really good for three sets, but Valpo's offense turned on in the fourth and fifth sets and they also started blocking better," Head Coach Brittany Harry said. "We just couldn't get the same offensive flow going like we had in the first and second sets of the match."
Valpo never trailed in set four, and after leading 12-6 at the first timeout, the deficit never got closer than five, and the Salukis quickly found themselves in a winner-take-all fifth set.
Franklin got her groove back, tallying four of SIU's first six points. Southern's early lead was short-lived, as Valpo put together a 5-1 run as the teams switched sides. From there, they continued to dominate using a balanced attack, scoring seven of the last eight points to complete the reverse sweep.
The Beacons had four players reach double-digit kills in the comeback effort, including Jordyn Gove, who had four of the final six points in set five.
Harry complimented the play of her senior outside hitters, but wants to use the upcoming midweek match to correct certain areas before continuing conference play.
"I thought Annabelle and Kelly had really good matches for us, but as a team we really need to clean up some minor things before the non-con match at SEMO Tuesday," Harry said.
Sulish added 14 kills to her ledger as she looks to continue climbing the ranks of Southern Illinois' all-time kills list.
UP NEXT
SIU will begin a five-match road trip with a midweek contest at Southeast Missouri State Tuesday in Cape Girardeau.
FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X (@SIU_Volleyball), Instagram (@SIU_Volleyball) and Facebook (SalukiVolleyball). Fans can also download the Salukis Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Team Stats
VALPO
SIU
Kills
71
63
Errors
17
22
Attempts
159
157
Hitting %
.340
.261
Points
82.0
76.0
Assists
69
61
Aces
5
4
Blocks
6
9
Game Leaders
Kills
23
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH
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