SIU entered their final match of the Miami-Ohio Tournament hoping to turn their weekend of play in a positive direction. Instead, the Salukis were swept in three sets by host, Miami (OH) University.

The Salukis began the first set with an immediate deficit to try to overcome. SIU kept the score tight throughout the set, but it was the Miami Redhawks who eventually claimed victory with a 25-22 score.

In the second set the Salukis looked to have gained their composure holding on to an early 6-5 lead.  The Redhawks responded by taking a 7-6 set lead and kept applying pressure through the remainder of the competition.  SIU was unable to gain another lead in the match.

Miami added to the strong performance of their previous sets by jumping to an early 8-1 lead in the third set. The Redhawks did not stop there, going on to win the final set by a score of 25-13.

Miami senior Olivia Rusek helped lead the charge for the Redhawks with 11 kills, 10 digs and .360 attack percentage. Rusek also added one service ace in the match.

Junior setter Mackenzie Zielinski was the match leader amongst both teams with 18 assists. Zielinksi also tacked on four digs and one service ace.

SIU senior Andrea Estrada led both teams with 15 kills for the duration of the match. Estrada was the team leader with a .387 attack percentage.

Saluki freshman Rachel Maguire also played a key role in the Saluki offense by adding 15 assists to go along with one kill. Maguire totaled three digs to go along with the 10 digs from senior Ashley Edelen.

Saturday’s match marked the third time in two days that the Saluki squad had been defeated.

On Friday morning the Salukis began their season with a loss to defending Conference USA champions, Western Kentucky University. The Hilltoppers were able to efficiently defeat the Salukis with a 3-0 sweep.

SIU showed positive signs of improvement in their second match on Friday against Northern Arizona University.

The Salukis jumped out to a commanding 2-0 set lead before the NAU Lumberjacks rattled off three consecutive set victories to conquer the match.

Saluki seniors played a key role in the offense in Friday’s matches. Abby Barrow accounted for 20 kills across both matches with fellow senior Andrea Estrada added 19 kills of her own.

Estrada’s 14 kills and 20 digs in the second match resulted in her 46th career double-double.

Setter, Alayna Martin also played strong matches. The sophomore accounted for 65 total assists on Friday while adding five aces against NAU.

Senior Ashley Edelen compiled 27 total digs on Friday across both matches.

The Salukis finish the round-robin tournament with an overall record of 0-3.

Up Next

SIU (0-3) will take on Arkansas State University (1-1) on Aug. 29 at SIU Arena. First serve is set for 7 p.m.

Sports writer Nathan Dodd can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @NathanMDodd

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