By: Howard Woodard
Volleyball in Carbondale will return to Davies Hall this Friday and Saturday. The Salukis (3-0) will open their home slate after winning the Betty Austin Invitational at Alabama A&M last weekend. It was a very encouraging start to the season for SIU as they handled business by picking up wins in each game. On Friday, they faced Chattanooga and won three sets to one. Sophomore Ella Swasiger had 14 kills, junior Larissa Seger had six blocks, and senior Anna Jaworski tallied 23 assists. Jaworski’s fellow setter Ema Stermenska earned a double-double with 14 assists and 10 digs. Annabelle Sulish did a little bit of everything on the outside, racking in 10 kills, seven digs, and four blocks. The Dawgs went on big runs in their first two sets to come back and win both, and after losing the third set, ended the match by winning the final set 25-13. They swept Idaho on Saturday, dominating on the floor and never facing a deficit after they got their first lead in the middle of the first set. Vienna Elliott had six kills in two sets, while Kelly Franklin had 10 kills and six digs. Sulish and Swasiger had 7 digs apiece, and Jaworski assisted 17 scores. SIU would trail 2-0 to Oral Roberts on the final day of the tournament, but they took control of the game and completed the reverse sweep to end the weekend on a high note. Sulish matched a career high with 19 kills and Franklin earned a new best with 17. They added 10 and 12 digs, respectively, to tally their first double-doubles of the year. Jaworski and Stermenska combined for 50 assists. The Dawgs capitalized on mistakes from the Golden Eagles to finish off their comeback. As expected, the Salukis look more balanced this season and will look to continue their success at the Saluki Bash against Jackson State, Memphis, and Eastern Illinois starting against JSU Friday, September 6 at 10 am. They will also travel to face UT Martin on Tuesday, September 10.
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