Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois Salukis' Women's Volleyball team has been ranked fifth in the annual coaches' Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) preseason poll, as announced by the conference on Wednesday. The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) led the poll with 141 points and secured 10 of the 12 first-place votes. Following UNI were UIC with 129 points, Drake with 110 points, Illinois State with 98 points, and SIU rounding out the top five with 85 points.

In the previous season, the Salukis finished with a record of 20-12 overall and an 11-7 mark in MVC play. They placed fourth in the MVC and made their second-ever postseason appearance by earning a bid to the 2023 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).

The team will see eight players returning from last season's roster, including three outside hitters, two setters, and three middle hitters. Notably among these returners is Ema Stermenska, who was named to the MVC All-Freshman team in 2023. Stermenska ranked 11th in assists within the MVC with a total of 673 and was fourth in service aces with 48.

Southern Illinois will participate in an exhibition match against Saint Louis on Saturday, August 24 at 1 p.m.

Fans can stay updated on all news related to the Salukis by following them on X (@SIU_Volleyball), Instagram (@SIU_Volleyball), and Facebook (SalukiVolleyball). Additionally, fans can download the "Salukis" Mobile App available on both the App Store and Google Play Store.