
Photo by: Jordan Kruse
Volleyball ends weekend with 3-1 win over North Dakota State
09/20/2025 | 3:29:00 | Women's Volleyball
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Southern Illinois Women's Volleyball took down North Dakota State in four sets to close the Razorback Invitational Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.
Head Coach Brittany Harry left the weekend feeling optimistic and is excited to see how the lessons learned from this first slate of matches will translate to Missouri Valley Conference play.
"I'm really happy our kids are leaving Arkansas with a win," Harry said. "This weekend challenged our group on so many levels, so to see them trust the process and execute was big time heading into Valley play next Friday."
Southern would not break its losing skid without some adversity, as North Dakota State came out strong and won the first set. A 5-1 run gave the Bison enough cushion to trade points and ultimately take the frame by six points.
SIU took advantage of a lackluster hitting set from NDSU in the second set, as the Bison hit -.088 en route to a Saluki blowout, 25-13.
Set three featured an offensive breakout from the Salukis, something Harry credits in large part to libero Jillian Shaneyfelt and setters Meghan Anderson and Emma Lade. Shaneyfelt notched 23 more digs, while Anderson and Lade collected 17 and 24 assists, respectively. Anderson also had 11 digs, giving her her first collegiate double-double.
"I thought Jillian played some of her best volleyball of the season this weekend, and all of those digs are just opportunities for us to score points in transition,"Â Harry said. "I also think our setters are doing a really good job of spreading the offense, which saw Kelly and Ella combine to swing .456 on the right side."
The Salukis hit .395 in the third set, in large part thanks to Ella Swansiger, who had 13 kills on the day, hitting .579, a season-high percentage.
SIU stormed out to a quick 7-2 lead in set four, looking to end the Bison's day in a hurry. NDSU showed great fight, though, coming back to hold a 14-13 lead midway through the set. The teams traded blows as the set wore on, but Anderson's key setting set up Swansiger and Cecilia Bulmahn for kills to seal the victory by a score of 26-24.
After a 5-7 record in a tough non-conference tournament slate, Harry is confident heading into MVC play.
"Overall, I think this pre-conference really prepared us for conference play."
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will begin conference action Friday, Sept. 26 at 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.
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Head Coach Brittany Harry left the weekend feeling optimistic and is excited to see how the lessons learned from this first slate of matches will translate to Missouri Valley Conference play.
"I'm really happy our kids are leaving Arkansas with a win," Harry said. "This weekend challenged our group on so many levels, so to see them trust the process and execute was big time heading into Valley play next Friday."
Southern would not break its losing skid without some adversity, as North Dakota State came out strong and won the first set. A 5-1 run gave the Bison enough cushion to trade points and ultimately take the frame by six points.
SIU took advantage of a lackluster hitting set from NDSU in the second set, as the Bison hit -.088 en route to a Saluki blowout, 25-13.
Set three featured an offensive breakout from the Salukis, something Harry credits in large part to libero Jillian Shaneyfelt and setters Meghan Anderson and Emma Lade. Shaneyfelt notched 23 more digs, while Anderson and Lade collected 17 and 24 assists, respectively. Anderson also had 11 digs, giving her her first collegiate double-double.
"I thought Jillian played some of her best volleyball of the season this weekend, and all of those digs are just opportunities for us to score points in transition,"Â Harry said. "I also think our setters are doing a really good job of spreading the offense, which saw Kelly and Ella combine to swing .456 on the right side."
The Salukis hit .395 in the third set, in large part thanks to Ella Swansiger, who had 13 kills on the day, hitting .579, a season-high percentage.
SIU stormed out to a quick 7-2 lead in set four, looking to end the Bison's day in a hurry. NDSU showed great fight, though, coming back to hold a 14-13 lead midway through the set. The teams traded blows as the set wore on, but Anderson's key setting set up Swansiger and Cecilia Bulmahn for kills to seal the victory by a score of 26-24.
After a 5-7 record in a tough non-conference tournament slate, Harry is confident heading into MVC play.
"Overall, I think this pre-conference really prepared us for conference play."
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will begin conference action Friday, Sept. 26 at 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.
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Team Stats
SIU
NDSU
Kills
55
55
Errors
18
25
Attempts
155
166
Hitting %
.239
.181
Points
65.0
65.0
Assists
50
52
Aces
4
6
Blocks
6
4
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
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