NORMAL, Ill. – The Southern Illinois University Saluki volleyball team heads to the Heart of Illinois this weekend for a pair of missouri Valley conference matches against Illinois State and Bradley. The Salukis will face Illinois State on Friday at 6:00 p.m. CT and Bradley on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. CT.
Southern Illinois enters the weekend with several players ranking among the MVC‘s leaders. Sophomore Anna Seger currently ranks fourth in the MVC in hitting percentage (.358) and is second in The valley with 31 aces. She recently set a career-high with 15 kills against Eastern Illinois on September 6. Seger is also second in the MVC with 76 total blocks and tied for fourth with 1.03 blocks per set.
Junior Jillian Shaneyfelt is third in the MVC with 315 digs, averaging 3.99 digs per set. Cecilia Bulmahn, also a junior, is ninth in the MVC with 226 digs and tied for sixth in service aces with 22. She reached 1,250 career digs on October 3 against Indiana State, becoming the sixth Saluki in history to achieve this milestone.
Leading the Saluki offence is Kelly Franklin, who has a team-high 245 kills, ranking second in The Valley, and averages 3.10 kills per set (ninth in the MVC). Franklin is hitting .327, fifth in the MVC, and has recorded 11 matches hitting over .350, including a career-high 23 kills on October 11.
The Salukis have demonstrated a strong serving game, tying the MVC high with 10 aces against both oakland and SEMO. They also lead the conference with 13 aces in a five-set match against McNeese State. Southern Illinois also recorded 63 assists in a four-set win over Murray State on September 26, tied for the most in the MVC in a four-set match.
Fans can follow the Salukis on X (@SIU_Volleyball), Instagram (@SIU_Volleyball), and Facebook (SalukiVolleyball). The Salukis mobile App is available on the App store and Google Play Store.
