Volleyball Hosts Saluki Bash, Looks to Stay Hot

Friday, September 4

Carbondale, IL

12 PM

Southern Illinois University

SEMO

The team smiles for a picture prior to the start of the match.

Saluki Volleyball smiles for a picture prior to their match with East Texas A&M.

Photo by: Corey Crombar

09/03/2026 | 8:00:00 | Women's Volleyball

Tournament Central

By: Corey Crombar, SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Saluki Women's Volleyball team looks to stay hot this weekend during the Saluki Bash at the Banterra Center in Carbondale. They will open the bash with a match against Southeast Missouri State, followed by Merrimack and Saint Louis.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE:

Friday: vs. SEMO, 12 p.m.
Friday: vs. Merrimack, 7 p.m.
Saturday: vs. Saint Louis, 2:30 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY:

The Salukis will play Southeast Missouri State for the 23^rd time. They have a record of 15-7 in their history versus the Redhawks. Most recently, they fell 3-1 in Cape Girardeau in 2025.
SIU will face Merrimack for the first time.
Southern has a 0-1 record in the all-time series against Saint Louis. The lone match was a 3-1 loss in Saint Louis in 2019.

QUICK HITS:

The Southern Illinois Women's Volleyball team was picked eighth in the annual coaches' Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll. Northern Iowa led the poll once again with 119 points and 9 of the 11 first-place votes.
The Salukis finished 13-17 (7-9 MVC) in 2025, tying for 7th in The Valley with Bradley and missing the conference tournament.
Brittany Harry continues her second season with Southern on Friday. The Champaign, Ill., native has a career record of 326-195, which includes a 7-13 MVC record, and a 26-5 season with a Lone Star Conference Championship at West Texas A&M in 2024.
SIU is coming off a 3-0 weekend at the East Texas A&M Lion Invitational in Commerce, Texas.
Southern defeated UL Monroe 3 sets to 1; defeated East Texas A&M 3 sets to 1; and swept Texas Southern 3 sets to 0.
Senior opposite hitter Ella Swansiger is coming off a tournament to remember. Her 35 kills earned her a sport on the all-tournament team and tournament MVP.
Freshman opposite hitter Natalie Vance also earned the all-tournament team distinction in her first collegiate tournament. Vance recorded 33 kills and 10 blocks over the weekend.

Follow the tournament with Live Stats, watch the ESPN+ broadcasts, or visit the Tournament Central page.

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.