Saturday, November 1
Carbondale, IL
5 PM
Southern Illinois University
10-16,4-8MVC
1
vs
3
Northern Iowa
19-5,12-0MVC
1
2
3
4
F
UNI
25
28
23
25
3
Southern Ill.
17
26
25
20
1
Southern gives UNI all it can handle in Valley slugfest
11/01/2025 | 9:48:00 | Women's Volleyball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois Volleyball put up a valiant effort against Missouri Valley Conference leader Northern Iowa on Saturday night in Davies Gym, dropping the match in a hard-fought four sets.
Set one went as planned, with UNI separating themselves near the first media timeout, and cruising to a 25-17 victory to go up 1-0.
The service line completely changed the vibe of the match in set two. UNI committed five service errors, and the Salukis tacked on three service aces.
SIU held a 24-22 lead and looked to give UNI its first set loss in over a month, but Cassidy Hartman put down four of her team-leading 26 kills in crunch time and powered her team to a late comeback victory in the set, 28-26.
The Salukis could have lost their edge after such a tough loss, but they came out with the same energy in set three, and finally broke UNI's streak.
"We gave up set 2 when we had set point, which is frustrating, but I thought we showed a lot of resilience pulling out set three and ending the UNI set win streak, which I don't think they lost a set in October," Head Coach Brittany Harry said. "We had a really good, balanced offense that started off with solid serve receive and service pressure."
Outside hitter Ella Swansiger had five kills in the frame, powering Southern to a 25-23 victory.
Facing true adversity, the Panthers got back on track in set three, and kept SIU at arm's length despite short bursts from the Salukis.
"We definitely played the gritty, Saluki defense that we preach in practice every day, and Jill was a stud in the back row for us," Harry said. "I think the setters did an incredible job distributing the ball and keeping the UNI middles on their toes."
Jillian Shaneyfelt reset her career-high for digs, collecting 29 in just four sets. Seniors Cecilia Bulmahn (10 kills, 10 digs) and Annabelle Sulish (13 kills, 12 digs) each had double-doubles.
"UNI is an incredible team, and our girls came to Davies tonight on a mission," Harry said. "It's not the outcome we wanted, but I think this is some of the best volleyball I've seen our team play this season, and I'm really proud of their Saluki fight."
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will close its home slate on senior weekend beginning Friday, Nov. 7, against Murray State.
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.
Heading into the night, the Panthers had not lost a set since Sept. 30 and had not lost an MVC match since Nov. 16, 2022, a streak of 47 in a row.
Set one went as planned, with UNI separating themselves near the first media timeout, and cruising to a 25-17 victory to go up 1-0.
The service line completely changed the vibe of the match in set two. UNI committed five service errors, and the Salukis tacked on three service aces.
SIU held a 24-22 lead and looked to give UNI its first set loss in over a month, but Cassidy Hartman put down four of her team-leading 26 kills in crunch time and powered her team to a late comeback victory in the set, 28-26.
The Salukis could have lost their edge after such a tough loss, but they came out with the same energy in set three, and finally broke UNI's streak.
"We gave up set 2 when we had set point, which is frustrating, but I thought we showed a lot of resilience pulling out set three and ending the UNI set win streak, which I don't think they lost a set in October," Head Coach Brittany Harry said. "We had a really good, balanced offense that started off with solid serve receive and service pressure."
Outside hitter Ella Swansiger had five kills in the frame, powering Southern to a 25-23 victory.
Facing true adversity, the Panthers got back on track in set three, and kept SIU at arm's length despite short bursts from the Salukis.
"We definitely played the gritty, Saluki defense that we preach in practice every day, and Jill was a stud in the back row for us," Harry said. "I think the setters did an incredible job distributing the ball and keeping the UNI middles on their toes."
Jillian Shaneyfelt reset her career-high for digs, collecting 29 in just four sets. Seniors Cecilia Bulmahn (10 kills, 10 digs) and Annabelle Sulish (13 kills, 12 digs) each had double-doubles.
"UNI is an incredible team, and our girls came to Davies tonight on a mission," Harry said. "It's not the outcome we wanted, but I think this is some of the best volleyball I've seen our team play this season, and I'm really proud of their Saluki fight."
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will close its home slate on senior weekend beginning Friday, Nov. 7, against Murray State.
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
UNI
SIU
Kills
71
54
Errors
17
14
Attempts
166
149
Hitting %
.325
.268
Points
82.0
65.0
Assists
67
53
Aces
6
4
Blocks
5
7
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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