Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois Women's Volleyball is set to return home for a series of matches, starting with Belmont and Murray State on Friday, October 25, in Carbondale. The team will play against Belmont at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by a match against Murray State at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

The Salukis have faced Belmont six times before, leading the series with four wins to two losses. Their last encounter was in the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, where Southern Illinois won decisively with a 3-0 sweep. Against Murray State, Southern holds a commanding lead of 20 wins to five losses, having secured their most recent victory with a 3-1 scoreline in Murray.

Key players for Southern Illinois include Anna Jaworski, who is third in school history with 3,552 assists and is closing in on second place. Larissa Seger ranks eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) for hitting percentage and has impressive stats in total blocks and blocks per set. Annabelle Sulish stands tenth in total kills and points within The Valley.

Cecilia Bulmahn has made her mark with service aces and digs this season. She achieved seven service aces during an October loss at UIC—a record for The Valley this season in a three-set match—and ranks high in both total digs and digs per set.

The Salukis boast a strong record of 6-2 in five-set matches and hold MVC highs for kills and attack percentage achieved during their match against Indiana State on October 19. They also share the top spot for most blocks recorded in a five-set match after denying 14 attacks from Missouri State on September 19.

Fans can stay updated on Southern Illinois Volleyball through various social media platforms including X (@SIU_Volleyball), Instagram (@SIU_Volleyball), Facebook (SalukiVolleyball), or via the "Salukis" Mobile App available on the App Store or Google Play Store.