Saturday, September 27
Carbondale, IL
5 PM
Southern Illinois University
7-7,2-0MVC
3
vs
1
Evansville
4-10,0-2MVC
1
2
3
4
F
Evansville
12
25
19
25
1
Southern Ill.
25
18
25
27
3
Annabelle Sulish
Photo by: Zuzanna Gaik
Southern fights off Evansville to secure 2-0 Valley start
09/27/2025 | 8:34:00 | Women's Volleyball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois Volleyball used a balanced attack to defeat Evansville in four sets Saturday night in Carbondale.Â
A key 6-0 run helped SIU run away with set one, extending the lead to 18-8, one the Purple Aces would not recover from. Annabelle Sulish put down the first of her two set-winning points of the night to grab the 1-0 advantage.
Evansville flipped the script in set two, using a quick 5-0 run to put Southern Illinois at arm's length.Â
A kill from Carlotta Pascual Centelles tied the match up as the Purple Aces grabbed momentum.
Evansville would carry momentum early in set three, but kills from Larissa Seger and Ella Swansiger combined with two straight aces from Emma Lade sent a jolt through Davies Gym. Leading 15-12 at the media timeout, the Salukis set the table for Sulish to deliver the final blow once again in a 25-19 set three win.
Set four was a battle from the start, with the teams trading leads throughout. SIU's presence at the net would prove to be the difference, as Eva Krakowski combined with Swansiger to keep the match alive after the Purple Aces had set point. Cecilia Bulmahn and Seger would finish the job with a block that gave Southern a wild 27-25 win.
"I think we showed a lot of grit tonight coming out with the win in the fourth set because we were definitely not playing our best volleyball," Head Coach Brittany Harry said. "Larissa finishing with the big block at the end was exactly what we needed because our block was really quiet in the fourth set, and the UE hitters were taking some big rips."
Despite the four-set win, Harry thought her team could have executed even better.
"At times, we are playing some very clean, disciplined volleyball, but we also had some moments that were really messy and out of system which need cleaned up before next week," Harry said.
Sulish and fellow senior Kelly Franklin led SIU with 12 kills. Franklin's consistency does not go unnoticed by their head coach.
"Despite the highs and lows, we had some really nice offensive nights from Annabelle and Kelly," Harry said. "Kelly is a kid who just keeps showing up night after night, giving us big kills in big moments."
Emma Lade tallied 22 assists, while Jillian Shaneyfelt had 19 digs.
Harry shared her excitement and appreciation for the home crowd, saying, "It's a great 2-0 weekend to start conference play, and the energy and atmosphere in Davies was just awesome."
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will travel to Memphis for a midweek match on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
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.
A key 6-0 run helped SIU run away with set one, extending the lead to 18-8, one the Purple Aces would not recover from. Annabelle Sulish put down the first of her two set-winning points of the night to grab the 1-0 advantage.
Evansville flipped the script in set two, using a quick 5-0 run to put Southern Illinois at arm's length.Â
A kill from Carlotta Pascual Centelles tied the match up as the Purple Aces grabbed momentum.
Evansville would carry momentum early in set three, but kills from Larissa Seger and Ella Swansiger combined with two straight aces from Emma Lade sent a jolt through Davies Gym. Leading 15-12 at the media timeout, the Salukis set the table for Sulish to deliver the final blow once again in a 25-19 set three win.
Set four was a battle from the start, with the teams trading leads throughout. SIU's presence at the net would prove to be the difference, as Eva Krakowski combined with Swansiger to keep the match alive after the Purple Aces had set point. Cecilia Bulmahn and Seger would finish the job with a block that gave Southern a wild 27-25 win.
"I think we showed a lot of grit tonight coming out with the win in the fourth set because we were definitely not playing our best volleyball," Head Coach Brittany Harry said. "Larissa finishing with the big block at the end was exactly what we needed because our block was really quiet in the fourth set, and the UE hitters were taking some big rips."
Despite the four-set win, Harry thought her team could have executed even better.
"At times, we are playing some very clean, disciplined volleyball, but we also had some moments that were really messy and out of system which need cleaned up before next week," Harry said.
Sulish and fellow senior Kelly Franklin led SIU with 12 kills. Franklin's consistency does not go unnoticed by their head coach.
"Despite the highs and lows, we had some really nice offensive nights from Annabelle and Kelly," Harry said. "Kelly is a kid who just keeps showing up night after night, giving us big kills in big moments."
Emma Lade tallied 22 assists, while Jillian Shaneyfelt had 19 digs.
Harry shared her excitement and appreciation for the home crowd, saying, "It's a great 2-0 weekend to start conference play, and the energy and atmosphere in Davies was just awesome."
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will travel to Memphis for a midweek match on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
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
Evans
SIU
Kills
46
50
Errors
25
17
Attempts
151
138
Hitting %
.139
.239
Points
52.0
64.0
Assists
43
48
Aces
3
8
Blocks
3
6
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
MH
/ Women's Volleyball
MH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
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