Davies Gym was the grounds to a tough Missouri Valley Conference matchup between Southern Illinois and Drake. The affair took place on Friday, September 30 and intensity was brewing between both teams. 

The Salukis sat at 9-5 before the contest, which led to growing expectations for a Saluki fan base that felt let down last year. Same goes for the Bulldogs of Drake, who sat at 10-5.

The first set was a rollercoaster til the end. The Salukis stormed back from a 17-21 deficit, but Drake inevitably came out on top 30-28 to win 1-0. 

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The second set picked up where the first set let off. Drake jumped out to a lead, then SIU climbed back. The Dawgs eventually won the set, 25-20, making it 1-1. 

The Bulldogs commanded the Salukis in the third set, winning 25-20. SIU would need a great fourth set in order to come out on top.

The first half of the fourth was a dog fight. Each team battled for one-point leads. Inevitably, the Bulldogs put it all on the court, and won 25-23, in four sets. 

Junior Nataly Garcia led the team tonight with 22 kills, followed by freshman Ceci Buhlman with 17. Sophomore Anna Jaworski had a team high 55 assists on the night for the Dawgs.

Freshman libero Claudia Bobb led the squad on defense with 23 digs.

Southern Illinois plays their next game against Northern Iowa at 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 1. A win next game would put the Salukis at 3-1 for conference play.

Assistant Sports Editor Cole Daily can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @cdaily_de

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