SIU Volleyball Drops Fourth Straight Match, Falls to SEMO
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Southern Illinois University volleyball team continued its losing streak Wednesday night, falling to Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) in four sets (25-23, 25-21, 25-23, 25-13). the Salukis have now lost four consecutive matches.
Southern Illinois (SIU) battled in the first three sets, building early leads in each but ultimately succumbing to errors and a strong SEMO response. In the first set, SIU took an early advantage, only to see it erased by an 11-1 run from the Redhawks.
“We started fast in every set and built leads early, but we let some big leads slip away with lots of unforced hitting and serving errors,” Head Coach Brittany Harry said. “This was not one of our best nights offensively as a team, and when you add 12 missed serves to the equation it’s going to be really hard to beat any team.”
The Salukis found success in the third set, jumping out to an 8-0 lead fueled by strong net play from Jennifer Seger and two aces from Annabelle Sulish. SEMO rallied to tie the set, but Sulish’s third ace secured the set win for SIU.
Outside hitters kelly Franklin, Annabelle Sulish, and Ella Swansiger combined for 35 of Southern’s 49 kills. Harry highlighted the consistent performances of her outside hitters.
“Once again, I thought Kelly had another great night on the court and I am really starting to see her step up as a leader which is great to see,” Harry said. “I also think Annabelle and Ella also had good nights offensively.”
SEMO controlled the fourth set, leading throughout and closing out the match with a 25-13 victory.
SIU will look to rebound Friday night with a road contest at Bradley in Peoria, Ill.
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.
