Southern Defeated by Drake in Four - Southern Illinois University Athletics

Friday, November 6

Des Moines, IA

6 PM

Southern Illinois University

10-15,4-9MVC

Drake

13-12,8-5MVC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Southern Ill.	14	25	14	14	1
Drake	25	19	25	25	3

Southern Defeated by Drake in Four Image

Saluki Volleyball

Photo by: Corey Crombar

11/06/2026 | 9:09:00 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Corey Crombar, SIUSalukis.com

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Saluki Volleyball squad looked to start a winning streak Friday night against the Drake Bulldogs at the Knapp Center.

The Salukis started slow, as Drake immediately got out to a 10-1 lead in the first set. What hurt the Dawgs the most was their hitting performance. In set one, the Salukis only tallied 6 kills on 35 total attacks, with 9 attack errors (-0.086 hitting percentage). After falling behind early, Southern looked to crawl back into the set, but the deficit was too large. Drake took set one 25-14.

The Dawgs had to bounce back in set two - and they did just that. It was Southern this time who jumped out to a quick, sizable lead, holding the Bulldogs at 15-8 at the technical timeout. At set point, the Bulldogs proceeded to go on a 4-0 run, thanks to three Saluki attack errors. Aside from that four-point stretch, the Dawgs had much better attacking in set two, recording 18 kills on 38 attacks with 6 errors (0.263 hitting percentage). They tried to mount a comeback, but Southern's lead was too large. The Salukis took set two after a kill by Ella Swansiger, 25-19.

Set three started with both sides knotted at one with both sides looking to grab the set advantage. Flipping the script, Drake jumped out to another large lead, this time leading Southern 15-6 at the technical timeout. The Salukis went on a 5-0 run out of the timeout, attempting to come closer. But, the early deficit was too much for the Dawgs to overcome. Drake took set three 25-14.

The fourth set was do or die for Southern. With their backs up against the wall and trailing two sets to one, the Dawgs needed to compete. But, the same story showed again, as Drake jumped out to another 10-1 lead. Southern tried to bounce back, but once again, the Bulldog lead was too big. After scoring four in a row, the match came to a close in favor of the Bulldogs. Southern fell in set four, once again 25-14.

UP NEXT
The Salukis continue their Iowa trip with a match against the Northern Iowa Panthers on Saturday at 5 PM CT at McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

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