Saluki volleyball lost its second to last regular season game Friday against Wichita State.

SIU was defeated in three sets, 25-15, 25-14 and 25-18. This marks the second time this season the Shockers have swept SIU and the first time SIU has been swept in Davies Gym this year.

The squad struggled to get into any type of groove. The Salukis had a total 23 kill errors and eight serving errors.

Advertisement

“We weren’t doing what we should have been doing,” SIU coach Justin Ingram said. “Our mechanics were shot. Our passing was atrocious. That is the result of undisciplined behavior. We have to get far more disciplined.”

Ingram was not happy with how his younger players — including junior outside hitter Andrea Estrada and senior libero Mariana Pilon — performed in the absence of key seniors, three of whom were out because of injuries.

“When these two are respectively the next best ones that should help carry the load … I think we are going to struggle,” Ingram said.

Estrada had five kills on 29 attempts and six attacking errors, while Pilon had eight digs with four reception errors and a serving error.

Wichita State broke out to a 12-6 lead in the the first set, forcing Ingram to call a timeout.

The Dawgs couldn’t adjust as the Shockers scored on 86 percent (13-15) of their sideout opportunities. Wichita State won the set, 25-15.

Attacking errors continued to be a problem for SIU. They had eight in the second set, which didn’t allow them to gain any momentum.

Advertisement*

While the Salukis were able to decrease the Shockers’ sideout percentage to 60 percent, SIU’s game low 33 percent wasn’t nearly good enough.

The Dawgs lost the second set, 25-14, and the team played worse as the game progressed.

Southern made 10 attacking errors in the third set and had a .020 kill percentage, which was the deciding factor in the game.

However, junior middle hitter Kolby Meeks continues to play well. She had eight kills, two assists, two assisted blocks and a solo block.

“I felt good coming into the game,” Meeks said. “We knew that this was a big one and that we had to all play together and play hard but in the end, tonight wasn’t our night.”

No Salukis reached double-digit kills.

SIU will play its final regular season game at 7 p.m. Saturday in Davies against Missouri State.

Staff writer Jonathan Thompson can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @TheReal_Jt3.

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

Advertisement