Southern Illinois managed to get the win over Bradley in a competitive four-set at Peoria, Illinois, on Friday, October 28. The Salukis had lost their last two in conference play, but now they stand at 8-4 in conference after the victory.

The first set was arguably the most competitive. The Braves managed to pull it out, winning 26-24 in a ruthless match. 

However, the Salukis wouldn’t go down without a fight, so they put it on Bradley in the second set, winning 25-20. 

The Dawgs have the ability to put points up in a hurry. They lead the Missouri Valley Conference in kills per set with 14.24. That’s with injuries to hitters like Nsia Gittens and Ceci Buhlman. 

The third set was another dogfight, both teams scratching and clawing for victory. After all, winning that third set could give the team a major advantage. The Salukis managed to hold on, 25-23. 

In the final set, SIU displayed an impressive performance of putting Bradley away, winning the set 25-19. 

Junior Nataly Garcia led the way for the Salukis with 22 kills on the day, and senior Tatum Tornatta had 19 as well. It wasn’t all offense for SIU either, four different players recorded double-digits on digs. 

The Salukis play their next opponent Saturday, October 29, which will be Illinois State. This game will also take place on the road, so SIU will need to bring their best if they hope to win. 

Assistant Sports Editor Cole Daily can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at cdaily_deTo stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter

Advertisement