With their postseason chances hanging in the balance, the Salukis came out on fire, using an 8-0 run to go up big in the first set. The Sycamores did their best to tighten the score, but Southern kept its foot on the gas and went up 1-0 by a score of 25-19.
Indiana State returned the favor in set two, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and trailing for just one point in the set to tie the match at one.
Set three was poised to mirror the previous frame, but a late 5-0 run from SIU tied the match at 20-20 and sent the match into a ferocious back-and-forth battle. Annabelle Sulish had three kills late as the set went over 25, but Indiana State closed out the set, winning 28-26 and going up 2-1.
Southern gave it all they had with the match and season on the line, putting together an 8-1 run in set four and stretching a lead as big as 10 en route to a dominant 25-16 set victory to send the contest to a winner-take-all fifth set.
The teams traded blows early in set five, and the Sycamores led 11-9 as the set creept towards the end. On a night full of runs, Southern had one more to give, as a 5-0 spurt gave them the set point, and Larissa Seger emphatically put down the final kill to give the Dawgs a crucial comeback victory.
Head Coach Brittany Harry was pleased with the resilience her team showed.
“Proud of our kids battling through a tough five-setter on the road,” she said. “Volleyball is a game full of momentum swings, and we got the momentum when we needed to win set four and close out the fifth.”
On a big night for the outside hitters, setter Emma Lade was key, putting them in position to succeed.
“I thought Emma did a great job balancing out the offense and playing really good defense to finish with a double-double,” Harry said. “A night of double-doubles, Annabelle, Ceci, Kelly and Emma, and then Larissa also in double-digit kills, which is big time.”
Cecilia Bulmahn (18 kills, 13 digs), Kelly Franklin (14 kills, 10 digs), and Annabelle Sulish (13 kills, 14 digs) each had double-doubles with kills and digs, and Emma Lade’s came with 39 assists and 15 digs. Seger tacked on 10 kills, hitting .421 on the night.
Despite the victory, a win by Illinois State knocks the Salukis out of postseason contention.
UP NEXT
Southern Illinois will wrap its season with a trip to Evansville to take on the Purple Aces Saturday at 4 p.m.
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