The Saluki volleyball team hosted the Valparaiso Beacons Saturday evening and fell in four sets. 

In the first set, Valpo took the lead with two kills and two errors by the Dawgs. Halfway through the match, Southern took the lead thanks to a seven-point score streak which consisted of three kills from Tatum Tornatta and one by Brinley Burdette. The Salukis took the first set 25-20.

At the beginning of the second set, the Salukis went point for point with the Beacons, then went for a scoring streak of five that was ended by a service error on the Dawgs. The Salukis held the lead until late in the second set when Valpo went for three scoring streaks of four, three, and three to end the set and take the win with a 25-22 score. 

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The Salukis played a close third and fourth set with the Beacons but fell short in the third 25-29 and 25-22 in the fourth. To give the Beacons the match 3-1.

The Salukis were led in digs by freshman defensive specialist Claudia Bobb and in assists by sophomore setter Anna Jaworski. The Salukis were also led by senior outside hitter Nataly Garcia who had 21 kills and four aces. Junior Tatum Tornatta followed Garcia with 12 kills, one ace, and one block. Annabelle Sulish had 10 kills, one ace, and one block, and Imani Hartfield had nine kills to help out the Dawgs. 

The Salukis beat Valpo with kills 54-51, but also beat them 25-15 in errors to help them take home a win. The Dawgs hit .195 and had an accumulative point total of 65 to Valpo’s 68.

The Salukis will travel to Peoria, IL on Oct 28 to take on the Bradley Braves at 5 p.m. With hopes of bringing home a road win.

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Sports reporter Joei Younker can be reached at [email protected]. 

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