Saturday, August 30
Huntsville, TX
9 AM
Southern Illinois University
2-1,0-0MVC
2
vs
3
McNeese State
2-1,0-0Southland
1
2
3
4
5
F
Southern Ill.
16
19
25
25
9
2
McNeese
25
25
11
12
15
3
Julia Laidig, Ainara Fernandes, and Kelly Franklin
Photo by: Makayla Ward
Recap | Salukis nearly mount comeback, come up just short against McNeese
08/30/2025 | 11:43:00 | Women's Volleyball
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Southern Illinois Volleyball roared back after being down 2-0, but could not complete the comeback against McNeese Saturday in Huntsville, Texas. The loss drops the Salukis to a 2-1 weekend, which was tied for the best record at the Bearkat Invitational.
Head Coach Brittany Harry would have liked a weekend sweep, but was proud of the team's effort in the match.
"Battling back to a fifth set showed a lot of maturity from our group after getting off to a really slow start to the match," Harry said. "We obviously would have liked a different outcome, but I think our team showed a lot of grit after playing 10 sets yesterday and the late match last night."
Southern never held the lead in set one as the Cowgirls dominated from the first serve.
Set two was kinder to the Salukis as they forced a McNeese timeout after Annabelle Sulish collected a block, kill and ace within a four-point span. The timeout would prove key for McNeese, as they stormed ahead and controlled the rest of the set to take a commanding 2-0 match lead.
With their backs against the wall, Morgan State transfer Ainara Fernandes and freshman Julia Laidig provided a spark off the bench, leading a dominant effort from the Salukis in sets three and four. Southern outscored McNeese 50-23 in those frames.
"Really proud of how Ainara and Julia Laidig stepped in and gave us an added boost in the 3rd set," Harry said. "That showed we can rely on our bench to come in and make a difference."
Fernandes added nine kills (42.1 attack %), nine digs and two blocks, while Laidig added 11 digs, five assists and two aces.
SIU seemed to have their magic touch back again, but crippling service errors in set five set them behind early, and they could not recover this time around.
Still, a winning weekend is a positive start for first-year Head Coach Brittany Harry.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will host the Saluki Bash in the Banterra Center beginning Friday, September 5, against New Mexico 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.
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Head Coach Brittany Harry would have liked a weekend sweep, but was proud of the team's effort in the match.
"Battling back to a fifth set showed a lot of maturity from our group after getting off to a really slow start to the match," Harry said. "We obviously would have liked a different outcome, but I think our team showed a lot of grit after playing 10 sets yesterday and the late match last night."
Southern never held the lead in set one as the Cowgirls dominated from the first serve.
Set two was kinder to the Salukis as they forced a McNeese timeout after Annabelle Sulish collected a block, kill and ace within a four-point span. The timeout would prove key for McNeese, as they stormed ahead and controlled the rest of the set to take a commanding 2-0 match lead.
With their backs against the wall, Morgan State transfer Ainara Fernandes and freshman Julia Laidig provided a spark off the bench, leading a dominant effort from the Salukis in sets three and four. Southern outscored McNeese 50-23 in those frames.
"Really proud of how Ainara and Julia Laidig stepped in and gave us an added boost in the 3rd set," Harry said. "That showed we can rely on our bench to come in and make a difference."
Fernandes added nine kills (42.1 attack %), nine digs and two blocks, while Laidig added 11 digs, five assists and two aces.
SIU seemed to have their magic touch back again, but crippling service errors in set five set them behind early, and they could not recover this time around.
Still, a winning weekend is a positive start for first-year Head Coach Brittany Harry.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will host the Saluki Bash in the Banterra Center beginning Friday, September 5, against New Mexico 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.
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Team Stats
SIU
McN
Kills
51
49
Errors
20
23
Attempts
151
141
Hitting %
.205
.184
Points
75.0
61.0
Assists
44
48
Aces
13
5
Blocks
11
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
4
Blocks
7
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
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