SIU volleyball has a winning streak once again.

The Salukis now have two wins in a row after winning a five-set match Friday against Illinois State on the road.

With the win, SIU (19-9, 10-4 Missouri Valley Conference) is now a half-game up on Northern Iowa (18-8, 9-4 MVC) for third place in the conference standings with four matches to go.

Advertisement

Things looked bleak out of the gate for SIU after Illinois State (15-10, 8-5 MVC) had a strong set from junior middle blocker Jaelyn Keene to win the frame 25-14.

Keene had two service aces in addition to two kills in the set.

SIU had 10 errors in the first set and hit -.027.

Despite the poor first set, the Salukis were able to bounce back in the second set with a 26-24 victory.

The Redbirds were able to come back from a late five-point deficit to tie it up at 23.

Two kills from junior outside hitter Andrea Estrada helped SIU clinch the set and tie the match at one set a piece.

Estrada had another strong match for SIU overall with match-highs in kills (16) and digs (21).

Advertisement*

The Dawgs returned the favor from the first set in set three with an emphatic 25-15 set victory.

SIU hit .280 in the set, with four kills from junior outside hitter Abby Barrow, who was one of three Salukis with double-digit kills.

The Salukis held a one-point lead in the set at 14-13 before going on an 11-2 run to close the set.

They were unable to hold the momentum as Illinois State came back strong with an even more emphatic 25-12 set victory.

SIU had its worst set of the night, hitting -.054 with nine errors. The Redbirds only committed two errors in the set.

Momentum shifted once again in the fifth set as SIU marched out to a 5-1 lead and kept its distance from Illinois State to win the set 15-8.

Barrow finished strong after struggling early with four kills in the final set with a service ace.

SIU will try to make it three wins in a row at 6 p.m. Saturday against Indiana State in Terre Haute.

Sports editor Sean Carley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @SCarleyDE.

To stay up to date with all your SIU sports news, follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.

Advertisement