by William Becque – siusalukis.com
KALAMAZOO, MI – The Saluki volleyball team suffered a 3-0 (15-25, 17-25, 22-25) setback to the Western Michigan Broncos on the final day of competition at the WMU Invitational Saturday night. Southern’s Maggie Nedoma was one of six selected to the All-Tournament team.
The Broncos (5-3) used a 7-0 run to break a 6-6 tie in the opening set. Southern (0-7) was unable to close the gap, as Western Michigan went on to build a 10-point spread three times, the last coming at 22-12. Back-to-back Bronco attack errors got SIU to within eight (22-14), but that was as close as Southern could get.
Western Michigan started out the second set in similar fashion, getting out to a quick 6-1 lead. SIU responded with a 4-0 spurt, as Hannah Becker and Nedoma each tallied a kill and Ashley Edelen added a service ace to cut Southern’s deficit down to one, 6-5. The Broncos again utilized a big run to break away from the Salukis, as a 9-1 swing gave WMU a 15-6 lead in the second set. Southern got to within seven, 24-17, on a Broncos service error, but a solo block by WMU’s Quiana Ware ended the second set at 25-17.
The Salukis outhit the Broncos, .367-to-.364, in the third frame, but Western Michigan got the last laugh in a set that featured 12 ties and three lead changes. Barrow staked SIU to an early 5-2 lead, but three-straight points by the Broncos evened the score at 5-5. SIU built a pair of three-point spreads, with an attack error by Western Michigan giving Southern a 13-10 advantage.
The Broncos again responded with a three-point spurt to tie the score. Neither team was able to take more than a two point lead until the Broncos broke a 21-21 tie with another three-point spurt (24-21) to get to set point. A kill by Andrea Estrada got SIU to within two, but the Broncos sided out to win the set and the match.
Four Saluki hitters recorded at least five kills, led by Barrow, who finished with a team-best seven kills. Estrada added six kills and eight digs, while Kolby Meeks hit a team-best .417 with five kills on 12 attempts and no errors. Nedoma finished with five kills against Western Michigan en route to earning All-Tournament Team honors. The Berea Park, Ohio native hit .347 and tallied 23 kills (3.28 kills/set) during the two-match tournament.
Rachel Maguire dished out 15 assists and had eight digs, while Alayna Martin totaled 14 assists and six digs. Edelen led all Salukis with nine digs.
Western Michigan outhit Southern Illinois, .330 to .140 for the match, and led in blocks, 6-2.
The Salukis return home to the SIU Arena on Tuesday, Sept. 12, when they host the SEMO Redhawks. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
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