The Salukis fell to Northern Iowa Friday in a three game sweep (16-25, 14-25, 17-25), losing their third straight conference match.

SIU came into Friday evening’s matchup against the University of Northern Iowa (17-4, 7-0 MVC) looking to put another win on the board and end its two-game losing streak in conference play.

Southern has struggled against the Panthers, only winning six out of their last 30 matches. The Salukis have also struggled on the road this season, winning only one match out of six in away games.

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Senior outside hitter Nellie Fredriksson opened up the first set of the match with a couple of kills giving SIU an early 5-3 lead.

UNI quickly turned things around as they went on two different three-point runs to put the Salukis behind 10-7.

Northern Iowa never looked back, going on to take the first set of the match 25-16.

The Panthers carried their momentum over into the second set as they jumped to a quick 2-0 lead, forcing Southern to chase them early.

UNI continued to stretch their leas as they pieced together a three-point run and a four-point run to take a dominant 10-3 lead.

SIU could never gain any ground on the Panthers as they lost the second set 14-25, giving Northern Iowa a 2-0 match lead.

Southern came into the third set of the match looking to turn things around with a couple of kills to take an early 2-1 lead.

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UNI immediately took control of the set with a three-point run of its own to put the Panthers ahead of the Salukis 7-4.

SIU was able to keep the set close by piecing together a couple of two-point runs to stay within striking distance of Northern Iowa at 11-9 in favor of the Panthers.

Northern Iowa was able to quickly gain their breathing room back, going on a five-point run to build a 16-9 lead.

The Salukis were able to put together a four-point run after a kill by junior middle blocker Patience Brown and a couple of attacking errors by UNI making the score 21-17 with Northern Iowa holding their lead.

UNI quickly answered back with a four-point run of their own to take the third set 25-17, completing the 3-0 match sweep.

Fredriksson went on to lead the team in kills with a total of nine on the night.

Sophomore setter Alayna Martin led the team with 13 digs and 11 assists.

Senior middle hitter Kolby Meeks led the team in blocks with four on the night.

The Saluki volleyball team (4-14, 3-4 MVC) heads to Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday to take on Drake University. Firsts serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Sports reporter Dillon Gilliland can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @DillonGilliland.

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