Friday, August 29
Huntsville, TX
10 AM
Southern Illinois University
3
at
2
Sam Houston
Eva Krakowski
Photo by: Makayla Ward
Recap | Volleyball sweeps doubleheader to open season, both in five sets
08/29/2025 | 9:43:00 | Women's Volleyball
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Southern Illinois Volleyball swept a doubleheader over Sam Houston and Tulane at the Bearkat Invitational Friday, August 29, in Huntsville, Texas. The Salukis fell behind 2-1 in both matches, but came up clutch when it mattered most, winning in five sets with scores of 16-14 and 15-13, respectively. The wins are Head Coach Brittany Harry's first two at the helm.
Match 1: Southern Illinois 3, Sam Houston 2
After taking an early 8-5 lead, Sam Houston assumed control of set one, stretching the lead as high as eight to go up 1-0.
Southern responded by never trailing in set two, dominating the early stages. A 5-0 Bearkat run late in the set tied it at 22, but SIU held on to win 25-23 courtesy of the final point from Ella Swansiger.
Both teams went on runs late in set three, but Sam Houston took advantage of Saluki errors late, taking a 2-1 lead.
The Bearkats seemed poised to take the match, holding a 17-12 lead in set number four. Southern slowly crept back into the contest and received clutch kills from Annabelle Sulish before Emma Lade sent the match to a fifth set with an ace.
The Salukis trailed nearly the entire fifth set, but took their first lead with point number 15, and a stuff at the net from Cecilia Bulmahn and Larissa Seger sealed Friday's first hard-fought victory.Â
Harry emphasized the impact of beating the tournament's host, and was complimentary of Sulish and Lade leading the team's resilient effort.
"To get the win versus Sam Houston on their home court to open up the season is a big deal for our group," Harry said. "We showed a lot grit and I'm really proud of Annabelle and Emma for stepping up big time and leading our group."
Sulish tallied a career-high 23 kills, leading the team by a wide margin. Lade collected 40 assists, the most by a Saluki setter since Anna Jaworski put up 52 in November 2022.
Match 2: Southern Illinois 3, Tulane 2
The Salukis and Green Wave were in a tight battle early, but a quick 5-0 run gave SIU just enough separation to take set one by a score of 25-23.
Tulane got out to a quick 16-10 advantage in set two, but Southern ripped off a 9-2 run and put themselves in the driver's seat for a commanding 2-0 lead over the American Conference foe. Southern earned the match point, but Tulane scored four of the next five and stunned the Salukis 27-25 to even the match up at 1 set apiece.
A key 6-1 run was the difference for Tulane in set three, claiming a 25-20 win, once again forcing the Salukis' back against the wall.
Southern put together its best performance in set four, trailing for just one point (3-2) and pulling away from the Green Wave. Cecilia Bulmahn led the Salukis with 14 kills on Friday night, and put down the final kill as the Dawgs prepped for their second fifth set of the day.
Set five saw early runs from both squads, with Tulane holding a 3-point advantage at the midway point. Southern switched sides and immediately scored four points in a row. The teams traded leads late, but three kills from Kelly Franklin and a match-ending block from Larissa Seger -- her second of the day -- helped SIU clinch the victory.
"I just love how our team regained their focus after not playing our strongest in the third set. There were a lot of up-and-down skids for us but this team has a refuse-to-lose mentality," Harry said. "Ceci and Larissa stepped up big time in big moments in the fifth set and they put us on their back to take home the win."
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will wrap the Bearkat Invitational with a 9 a.m. bout against McNeese on Saturday morning. Visit the Tournament Central page for more information.
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.
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Match 1: Southern Illinois 3, Sam Houston 2
After taking an early 8-5 lead, Sam Houston assumed control of set one, stretching the lead as high as eight to go up 1-0.
Southern responded by never trailing in set two, dominating the early stages. A 5-0 Bearkat run late in the set tied it at 22, but SIU held on to win 25-23 courtesy of the final point from Ella Swansiger.
Both teams went on runs late in set three, but Sam Houston took advantage of Saluki errors late, taking a 2-1 lead.
The Bearkats seemed poised to take the match, holding a 17-12 lead in set number four. Southern slowly crept back into the contest and received clutch kills from Annabelle Sulish before Emma Lade sent the match to a fifth set with an ace.
The Salukis trailed nearly the entire fifth set, but took their first lead with point number 15, and a stuff at the net from Cecilia Bulmahn and Larissa Seger sealed Friday's first hard-fought victory.Â
Harry emphasized the impact of beating the tournament's host, and was complimentary of Sulish and Lade leading the team's resilient effort.
"To get the win versus Sam Houston on their home court to open up the season is a big deal for our group," Harry said. "We showed a lot grit and I'm really proud of Annabelle and Emma for stepping up big time and leading our group."
Sulish tallied a career-high 23 kills, leading the team by a wide margin. Lade collected 40 assists, the most by a Saluki setter since Anna Jaworski put up 52 in November 2022.
Match 2: Southern Illinois 3, Tulane 2
The Salukis and Green Wave were in a tight battle early, but a quick 5-0 run gave SIU just enough separation to take set one by a score of 25-23.
Tulane got out to a quick 16-10 advantage in set two, but Southern ripped off a 9-2 run and put themselves in the driver's seat for a commanding 2-0 lead over the American Conference foe. Southern earned the match point, but Tulane scored four of the next five and stunned the Salukis 27-25 to even the match up at 1 set apiece.
A key 6-1 run was the difference for Tulane in set three, claiming a 25-20 win, once again forcing the Salukis' back against the wall.
Southern put together its best performance in set four, trailing for just one point (3-2) and pulling away from the Green Wave. Cecilia Bulmahn led the Salukis with 14 kills on Friday night, and put down the final kill as the Dawgs prepped for their second fifth set of the day.
Set five saw early runs from both squads, with Tulane holding a 3-point advantage at the midway point. Southern switched sides and immediately scored four points in a row. The teams traded leads late, but three kills from Kelly Franklin and a match-ending block from Larissa Seger -- her second of the day -- helped SIU clinch the victory.
"I just love how our team regained their focus after not playing our strongest in the third set. There were a lot of up-and-down skids for us but this team has a refuse-to-lose mentality," Harry said. "Ceci and Larissa stepped up big time in big moments in the fifth set and they put us on their back to take home the win."
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will wrap the Bearkat Invitational with a 9 a.m. bout against McNeese on Saturday morning. Visit the Tournament Central page for more information.
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.
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Players Mentioned
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