Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
10-14,4-8MVC
Illinois State
17-6,8-4MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Ill. | 25 | 17 | 15 | 27 | 15 | 3 |
| Illinois St. | 18 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 10 | 2 |
10/31/2026 | 11:59:00 | Women's Volleyball
NORMAL, Ill. - The Saluki Volleyball squad started hot and finished hot in their fiery five set win over Illinois State on Saturday at CEFCU Arena.
Set one featured a determined and confident Saluki squad. After falling on Friday to Bradley in another heartbreaker, the Salukis looked to turn the page. One thing that has plagued the Salukis this year has been errors. Saturday's match showcased a much cleaner, disciplined Saluki squad. In set one, the Dawgs only had one attack error and tallied a 0.273 hitting percentage. On the flip side, the Saluki defense was nothing short of spectacular. In set one alone, Southern forced ten Redbird attack errors and limited them to a 0.071 hitting percentage. The Salukis, on the back of their disciplined play, took set one 25-18.
Illinois State answered in set two. What really hurt the Dawgs this set was not their errors or lack of discipline, rather the inability to string together scoring runs. Despite what the scoreboard says, the Saluki play was clean and disciplined. Illinois State was able to pile together several small, effective runs. In turn, the Redbirds stole the momentum in CEFCU Arena. Unfortunately for SIU, a debatable side out call ended set two, going down as an attack error against the Dawgs. Illinois State won the set by a score of 25-17.
All was level in Normal on Saturday heading into set three. Both sides had fairly dominant set victories. The difference in set three was the start. After set two concluded, the Redbirds had all the momentum - and it showed. Illinois State opened up with a 10-3 lead in the set. The deficit put the Dawgs in a hole they were unable to crawl out of. But, Southern stayed disciplined and confident. They trusted one another and put their best foot forward. They tried to mount a comeback, but fell short in their efforts. Despite Illinois State taking the set 25-15, the Salukis wanted it.
Set four was one to remember. The set had absolutely everything from blocks to kills to service aces - you name it. Illinois State jumped out to a 9-5 lead in set four, and things started to turn a little sour for Southern. Nothing was going to get in the way of the Salukis tonight, however. The Dawgs answered back and were only down two points at the technical timeout, 15-13. Illinois State took the next point. After that, it was all Dawgs. A 6-0 run with kills, blocks, and a service ace allowed the Salukis to steal the momentum from the home side and the lead. After some back-and-forth, the sides found themselves tied at 22 apiece. The next 7 rallies alternated points, favoring Southern. A statement of a block from Alexandria Arrington and Chloe Anderson sealed the set for the Salukis, 27-25.
The Dawgs were faced with a situation all too familiar as of late: set five. However, this time was different - and you could feel it. Southern had every ounce of momentum after taking a thrilling fourth set. The Dawgs were determined to leave it all on the court - and they did. They came out swinging, jumping out to a small 5-3 lead. Then, the Redbirds rolled for a second, stealing the lead and putting the Dawgs behind by a point, 6-5. The Salukis tied it up, then took a one-point lead. Illinois State then tied it off a Saluki service error. SIU regained the lead, this time off a Redbird service error. The Redbirds scored the next two points, putting the score at 9-8 and the momentum began to shift once again. Thankfully for Southern, they were able to force a Redbird attack error. The Dawgs never looked back. The end of the set featured three kills from Ella Swansiger and two kills plus a service ace from McKenzie Moeller. The contest came to a close after Swansiger smashed a ball through the hands of the Redbird blockers into the ground. Southern took set five 15-10 and secured their first victory since October 2nd.
The victory was an all-around team effort. Facing some injuries, adversity, and several different lineup combinations, the victory was one of true grit and dedication. The youth of the Saluki squad stepped up and the charge was fiercely led by the experience of Jillian Shaneyfelt and Ella Swansiger.
CAREER NIGHTS
True freshman Alexandria Arrington had a night to remember. Arrington calmly recorded a double-double with 27 assists and 16 digs, plus 5 kills. All three stats are career-highs for the freshman. Senior Ella Swansiger had a career night. Swansiger recorded three career-highs with 24 kills (0.313 hitting percentage), 26 points, and 8 digs. Her composure and confidence on the court was admirable.
BLOCKING BARRAGE
The Salukis had 18 blocks on the night. That can be largely attributed to two players: Beatriz Piaia and Chloe Anderson. Redshirt sophomore Beatriz Piaia tallied a season-high 9 blocks against the Redbirds. Piaia also had 5 kills (0.313 hitting percentage) and 9.5 points on the night. Junior Chloe Anderson picked up 8 block assists and a solo block on the night for a total of 9, which is a career-high.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE THREATS
Freshman McKenzie Moeller fell just short of a double-double. She had 9 kills and 16 digs on the night. Adding the cherry on top, Moeller snagged five service aces. Senior libero Jillian Shaneyfelt also fell just shy of the coveted double-double. Shaneyfelt had 9 assists and a team-high 19 digs on Saturday. Her presence on the court is always one of confidence, leadership, and compassion.
FRESH FACES MAKING WAVES
Junior Ida Almkvist saw a lot of playing time against the Redbirds on Saturday and she made her presence felt immediately. Almkvist recorded season-highs with 6 bloks and 5 digs. She also had 5 kills with 0 attack errors and tallied eight points. True freshman defensive specialist/libero Isabella Del Real also had a career-high with 18 digs. That mark was second on the Saluki squad on Saturday.
After the match, Head Coach Brittany Harry said, The last few weeks has been full of adversity and tonight we finally broke through. This team flat out battled and it's something that we see all week in practices and we finally saw it tonight on that court. A streak like that can break a program's spirit, but tonight our athletes proved what they are made of. Ella Swansiger had a career night with 24 kills and quite literally put this team on her back. And then you have our blocking and defense that just took over tonight. When it came down to pure grit in the fifth set, nobody blinked and you gotta love bringing that dub home from Normal.
UP NEXT
The Salukis make the trek to Iowa for two more conference matchups. They will face the Drake Bulldogs on Friday, November 6 and the Panthers of Northern Iowa on Saturday, November 7.
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.
