Saturday, October 18
Normal, IL
7 PM
Southern Illinois University
10-12,4-4MVC
3
at
0
Illinois State
8-12,3-5MVC
1
2
3
F
Southern Ill.
25
25
25
3
Illinois St.
21
23
23
0
Photo by: Jordan Kruse
SIU collects first Valley sweep since 2023, goes 2-0 in Central Illinois
10/18/2025 | 10:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
NORMAL, Ill. - Southern Illinois swept a Missouri Valley Conference team for the first time since 2023 in its Saturday night victory over Illinois State.
"Going on the road in this league, in October, and getting a sweep is no easy task, and to do that after a reverse sweep last night is pretty big time," Head Coach Brittany Harry said. "This weekend I watched our kids play with fight and belief, and that is exactly what you need to do at this point in the season."
Despite the quick victory, each set was a dogfight down to the final points.
The teams traded blows in set one, with a late 4-0 run by SIU being the key difference late. Cecilia Bulmahn's first kill of the night would give Southern the win in set one.
Timely runs by the Salukis would prove to be the difference as the match went on, as Southern scored six in a row to take control of set two early on. The Redbirds kept themselves within striking distance, but senior Annabelle Sulish put down back-to-back kills to help SIU take a commanding 2-0 match lead.
Illinois State played its best volleyball for a majority of set three, holding a 21-17 lead late, trying to extend the match. A key block from Eva Krakowski and Ella Swansiger fueled a 4-0 run as the Salukis were suddenly in position to steal set three. Krakowski teamed up with Kelly Franklin for another block, setting the table for Sulish and Franklin to seal the victory with back-to-back kills en route to winning the final frame 25-23.
"I thought Annabelle was unbelievable tonight," Harry said. "She played at a really high level offensively and was pretty much automatic on her first contact passing."
Sulish set a career-high in hitting percentage (min. 10 attempts) at .560 and led the Salukis with 14 kills.
"I love this win for SIU and I love this win for our program."
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will carry its positive momentum to Chicagoland for matches with UIC and Valparaiso beginning Friday, Oct. 24.
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.
"Going on the road in this league, in October, and getting a sweep is no easy task, and to do that after a reverse sweep last night is pretty big time," Head Coach Brittany Harry said. "This weekend I watched our kids play with fight and belief, and that is exactly what you need to do at this point in the season."
Despite the quick victory, each set was a dogfight down to the final points.
The teams traded blows in set one, with a late 4-0 run by SIU being the key difference late. Cecilia Bulmahn's first kill of the night would give Southern the win in set one.
Timely runs by the Salukis would prove to be the difference as the match went on, as Southern scored six in a row to take control of set two early on. The Redbirds kept themselves within striking distance, but senior Annabelle Sulish put down back-to-back kills to help SIU take a commanding 2-0 match lead.
Illinois State played its best volleyball for a majority of set three, holding a 21-17 lead late, trying to extend the match. A key block from Eva Krakowski and Ella Swansiger fueled a 4-0 run as the Salukis were suddenly in position to steal set three. Krakowski teamed up with Kelly Franklin for another block, setting the table for Sulish and Franklin to seal the victory with back-to-back kills en route to winning the final frame 25-23.
"I thought Annabelle was unbelievable tonight," Harry said. "She played at a really high level offensively and was pretty much automatic on her first contact passing."
Sulish set a career-high in hitting percentage (min. 10 attempts) at .560 and led the Salukis with 14 kills.
"I love this win for SIU and I love this win for our program."
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will carry its positive momentum to Chicagoland for matches with UIC and Valparaiso beginning Friday, Oct. 24.
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
SIU
ILS
Kills
37
45
Errors
14
25
Attempts
109
122
Hitting %
.211
.164
Points
45.0
51.0
Assists
36
40
Aces
2
1
Blocks
6
5
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
4
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
MH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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