Salukis Fall in Five to Braves - Southern Illinois University Athletics

Friday, October 30

Peoria, IL

6 PM

Southern Illinois University

9-14,3-8MVC

Bradley

12-11,7-4MVC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Southern Ill.	23	29	20	28	7	2
Bradley	25	27	25	26	15	3

Photo by: Corey Crombar

10/30/2026 | 10:41:00 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Corey Crombar, SIUSalukis.com

PEORIA, Ill. - The Saluki Volleyball squad entered Friday's contest looking to capitalize on a new opportunity in front of them. It was the Braves, however, who took the match in five sets at Renaissance Coliseum.

Set one was tight. The set opened with the first ten points alternating between the two sides. After the back-and-forth, the Braves jumped ahead at the technical timeout, 15-11. The Dawgs stormed out of the timeout and commanded the next eight rallies, going on a 7-1 run. The score was now 18-16 in favor of SIU. Ultimately, behind a plethora of kills and a few Saluki errors, Bradley bounced back and took the set, 25-23.

The Salukis had to win set two - and they knew it. The second set was an absolute slug fest. Between the two sides, there were ninety-eight total attacks and 34 kills. Not only was there an incredible offensive presence, the rallies seemed to be never-ending. The set was once again incredibly tight, featuring a lot of back-and-forth and not much streakiness. The Salukis ended up having the Braves at set point, 24-23. A Bradley kill knotted the set. The Salukis took the next point on a kill from freshman McKenzie Moeller. The Braves took the next point off another kill. Even at 25, another McKenzie Moeller kill gave the Dawgs an edge and held the Braves set point again. Then, back-to-back kills from Bradley allowed the Braves to hold SIU at set point. All momentum was in favor of the Braves and the Salukis' backs were up against the wall. The rest of the set featured offensive dominance from SIU. Three kills, two by Ella Swansiger and one by Ida Almkvist, in a row allowed the Dawgs to take the lengthy second set. An emphatic kill from Swansiger sealed the second set in favor of SIU, 29-27.

Set three saw a strong start, but a weak finish from the Dawgs. The set was knotted at 14 when SIU went on a 4-0 run to take an 18-14 lead, steal the momentum, and force a Bradley timeout. Coming out of that timeout, Bradley fought back hard. The Braves tied the set at 18 on a 4-0 run of their own. The teams then traded points for a score of 19-19. The Braves went on a commanding 6-1 run to end and win set three by a score of 25-20.

The fourth set had come along and it was truly do or die for the Salukis this time. Once again, the Salukis had an 18-14 lead in the set. This time was different than set three however. The Dawgs conceded the next point on a service error, but immediately bounced back with a kill from Alexandria Arrington and a Bradley attack error. Then, Bradley went on a 5-1 run closing their deficit to one point, 21-20. The Dawgs scored three of the next four and held the Braves at set point, 24-21. Bradley was up for the challenge as they scored four straight to take a 25-24 lead, this time holding SIU at set point. On the flip side, Southern was also up for the challenge. Two attack errors, one being off a block from Chloe Anderson and Ella Swansiger gave the Dawgs a 26-25 lead. Bradley took the next point on a kill by Ella Nigl. All knotted up at 26, one squad was looking to seal the deal and the other was looking to stay alive. Fortunately for the Dawgs, kills from Ella Swansiger and McKenzie Moeller gave them the next two points and set four by a score of 28-26.

The stage was set for the fifth set. The Salukis had quieted Renaissance Coliseum and stolen all momentum. The Braves did not let that get in their way or effect their style of play. Bradley opened set five on a 9-2 scoring run, allowing them to steal back the momentum and bring life back into the crowd in Peoria. Eight of their nine points in the run came off kills. The Braves had taken control of the net. Thanks to three attack errors and a service error, the Dawgs were able to tighten the gap, bringing the score to 10-6. The rest of the set was all Braves, much to the chagrin of the Salukis and the supporters who made the trek to Peoria. Bradley ended the set on a 5-1 scoring run with three of those points coming of Saluki errors. The two-hour and thirty-six minute match came to a close at 8:43 p.m., ending in a 3-2 victory for Bradley after taking set five 15-7.

After the heartbreaking defeat, Head Coach Brittany Harry said, "This has been a long few weeks for SIU volleyball. I said it a few weeks ago but I will say it again, you have to win three sets to get the win. We battled to even the score to 2-2 and then completely took our foot off the gas in the 5th set. We could sit here and blame circumstances but the bottom line is every team has faced adversity at some point this year and we are no different. Gone are the days where perfect circumstances exist every week and these athletes have to get more comfortable with the uncomfortable. If I could bottle Jillian Shaneyfelt up and sell her motivation and tenacity I would be a rich lady because everyone would buy it. That kid shows up day in and day out with no quit. When my whole team shows up with Jilly mentality everyone better look out. So tonight, It's obviously not the outcome we wanted but we will get back to work and push to be who we know this group will become."

UP NEXT
The Salukis head eastbound on Interstate 74 for a Halloween showdown with the rival Redbirds of Illinois State. The match will begin at 7 p.m. CT at CEFCU Arena in Normal, Ill.

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