The Southern Illinois Women’s Volleyball team travelled to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to play in the Southern Miss Tournament. They opened the tournament by losing their first 2 games, one against University of Louisiana-Lafayette, and one against Southern Miss.

In their first game against Louisiana-Lafayette, SIU lost in three sets.

The Salukis started off the game strong, but weren’t able to come back after falling down 17-12 midway through the first set. The Ragin Cajuns then stormed through the Salukis and won 25-17.

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The Salukis followed a similar path in their next two sets. The team would rally back after falling behind, but the Ragin Cajuns never gave the Salukis an opportunity for a comeback.

Underclassmen Sophomore Tatum Tornatta and Freshman Anna Jaworski came to play however. Tatum Tornatta led the team in both kills (8) and blocks (2, tied with Margherita Giani), and Anna Jaworski led the team in assists (23).

Katy Kluge also led the way in the defensive category for the Salukis, with 14 digs.

In the Salukis second game, they lost to Southern Miss in four sets.

Both teams were very evenly matched in the first set. The score replicated this idea, as SIU came out on top 25-22.

The Golden Eagles proved that they were a force to be reckoned with in the next 3 sets, routing SIU 25-17, 25-15, and 25-17 to close out the game.

Sophomore Nsia Gittens and Junior Nataly Garcia led the way with kills in this game, both scoring 11 in total. Jaworski totaled 38 assists in this game, and Katy Kluge finished with 21 digs.

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The Southern Illinois volleyball team will hope to end the Southern Miss tournament on a high note and beat Mississippi Valley State on Saturday, August 28 at 2:30 PM.

Sports Reporter Cole Daily can be reached at [email protected]

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