Carbondale Reporter

Avery Parris tallied 17 kills and six blocks as Southern Illinois Women's Volleyball defeated Southeast Missouri State in a five-set thriller Saturday in Carbondale.

SEMO (3-8) took a 2-1 set lead and stretched a lead as high as 11 in set four, but the Salukis (8-4) stormed back to complete another heroic come-from-behind victory by winning sets four and five.

Parris, Larissa Seger, and Eva Krakowski all blocked six attacks, a feat that was vital to turning around the affair late. Ema Stermenska assisted on a season-high 31 kills.

The RedHawks led by scores of 8-1, 11-2, 7-1, and 12-1 in each of the first four sets, respectively.

After falling behind 8-1 in set one, the Salukis never inched within five, and SEMO led the match early.

Freshman Kaelin Pribyl entering the match in set two seemed to spark the Salukis, who outscored the RedHawks 24-14 en route to evening the bout at one set apiece.

SIU closed the gap to one late in set three, but four kills from Lucy Arndt and two aces contributed to a 6-1 run that gave SEMO the 2-1 set lead.

Set four was the ultimate turning point. Down by 11, the Salukis went on runs of 7-1 and 6-1 to tighten the match late in the set. With SEMO leading 21-18, the Salukis scored seven of the last nine points and carried serious momentum into the fifth and final set.

Southern jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and scored the final five of six points in set five to complete the comeback.

Southern Illinois will begin preparation for Missouri Valley Conference play starting Friday at Northern Iowa.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following them on X (@SIU_Volleyball), Instagram (@SIU_Volleyball), and Facebook (SalukiVolleyball). Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.