Saluki Volleyball Falters Late, Reverse Swept by Gardner-Webb

Friday, September 18

Clarksville, TN

4 PM

Southern Illinois University

6-5,0-0MVC

Gardner-Webb

8-4,0-0Big South

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Gardner-Webb	20	26	25	25	15	3
Southern Ill.	25	28	16	17	5	2

Lillian Dempkey sets a ball in the match.

Freshman setter Lillian Dempkey sets a ball.

Photo by: Corey Crombar

09/18/2026 | 9:18:00 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Corey Crombar, SIUSalukis.com

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - The Saluki Women's Volleyball team fell in a dramatic manner in five sets on Friday evening at Winfield Dunn Center.

After defeating sister school SIU-Edwardsville earlier Friday, the Salukis looked to start a winning streak as they took on the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs. The Salukis started hot and grew a two-set lead, but struggled to close it out and ultimately fell victim to the reverse sweep.

The first set of the match opened up with some exciting moments for both teams. Gardner-Webb got the first point, the Salukis took the lead on a big scoring run, and the energy in Winfield Dunn Center was special, especially for two teams playing at a neutral site. The story of the first set was the offensive success for both teams. Despite there being attack errors, those were quickly remedied by both sides. This is a trend that does not continue. In fact, the first set ended on an attack error by Gardner-Webb, giving the Salukis the first set 25-20.

The second set is where the fireworks were set off. For the third time in two matches, the Salukis had to go over the twenty-five point mark to take the set. The second set was defined by one word for the Salukis: grit. The majority of set two went in Gardner-Webb's favor until a kill from Beatriz Piaia swung the momentum in favor of SIU. Despite still being down six points at this point, the Salukis wanted the set more than the Bulldogs - and it showed. The Salukis were doing everything in their power to crawl back from the hole they were in. Eventually, the Bulldogs held the Salukis at set point (25-24). Southern did not back down and took the next two points, putting Gardner-Webb up against the wall. Gardner-Webb took the next point and the set was knotted at 26. To end the set, true freshman Natalie Vance tallied a pair of kills, securing the set victory for the Dawgs, 28-26.

Set three was when the Salukis began to falter. The third set was dominated by the Bulldogs in all aspects. Gardner-Webb had multiple lengthy scoring runs and with those runs came what decided the set: momentum. The Salukis struggled to answer and committed several errors, ultimately plaguing them. To wrap up the forgettable third set, the Salukis committed a service error as the ball flew into the net. Gardner-Webb took the set by a comfortable score of 25-16.

Set four saw the same storyline as set three. The set featured Bulldog determination, momentum, and simply outplaying Southern. The Salukis did not help their case either, as this set also saw many errors, a common theme for the Salukis throughout the match. The Salukis had better moments in set four than they did in set three, but it was not enough to topple the Bulldogs. Ending the fourth set was another error, this time an attacking one by Southern. Set four ended 25-17, Gardner-Webb.

Despite all that had happened physically, emotionally, and mentally in the previous four sets, both teams had a fresh slate and the opportunity to make a statement in the fifth and final set. Unfortunately for the Salukis, the beginning looked bleak. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 5-0 lead. Southern's first point of the set came off a Bulldog service error. Gardner-Webb did not let that affect them though as they stormed forward. It was set point for the Bulldogs, 14-5. At 6:31 p.m., the ball hit the Saluki side of the court for the final time, ending the set and match. Gardner-Webb took the set 15-5 and had completed the reverse sweep.

Head Coach Brittany Harry said, "When you have 38 hitting errors it's going to be hard to beat anybody. Gardner-Webb started off a little shaky but once they settled in, our offense just couldn't stay consistent. But you also have to look at some bright spots because we have a lot freshmen playing big roles. We overcame a huge deficit to win the 2nd set, freshmen McKenzie Moeller, Alex Arrington, and Natalie Vance had huge matches with double digit kill performances and Bia Piaia came up huge in the middle with 14 kills, 2 aces, and 5 blocks. The bottom line is we are competing. Even though we didn't get the outcome we wanted tonight, that just makes us that more hungry for tomorrow's match with Austin Peay."

SALUKI STATISTIC LEADERS
Kills: Natalie Vance,17
Aces: Ella McFarland & Beatriz Piaia, 2
Blocks: Beatriz Piaia, 5
Assists: Ella McFarland, 21
Digs: Jillian Shaneyfelt, 26

UP NEXT
The Salukis finish the Governors Classic and non-conference play with a contest against host school Austin Peay at 2 p.m. Saturday.

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