Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois Women's Volleyball faced a challenging match against Evansville, resulting in a five-set loss on Friday night. This marks the Salukis' first five-set defeat in conference play and their first since September 13 at Lindenwood.

Evansville, with a record of 3-16 overall and 2-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), took an early lead by winning the first two sets. The Salukis, who stand at 9-10 overall and 2-6 in MVC play, managed to recover by winning sets three and four. However, Evansville dominated the decisive fifth set to secure victory.

Kelly Franklin delivered a career-high performance with 20 kills for Southern Illinois. Anna Jaworski achieved her seventh double-double of the season, recording 28 assists and digging up 13 attacks.

Evansville's Guilia Cardona continued her impressive form as one of the nation's top players in kills per set, achieving a season-high of 37 kills during this match.

In set one, Southern Illinois led at one point but succumbed to a six-point run from Evansville that resulted in a 25-21 loss. Set two saw Evansville maintain control after reaching their tenth point, leading to another win with a score of 25-17.

The Salukis responded by taking set three with Larissa Seger securing the final point for a score of 25-19. They maintained momentum into set four despite multiple rallies from Evansville, forcing the match into a fifth set where they previously held an impressive record.

Set five was tightly contested until Franklin's final kill brought Southern within one point at 9-8. Nevertheless, Cardona's three consecutive kills sparked another six-point run for Evansville that concluded the match.

Southern Illinois will next face Indiana State on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT as they continue their trip through Indiana.

For updates on Southern Illinois Volleyball news and events, fans can follow them on social media platforms including X (@SIU_Volleyball), Instagram (@SIU_Volleyball), Facebook (SalukiVolleyball), or download the "Salukis" Mobile App available on both Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store.