CARBONDALE, Ill. – Indiana State women's volleyball earned their second sweep of the season on Sunday afternoon, using a season-best offensive performance to down Southern Illinois, 3-0.
 
In the 3-0 [25-20, 25-11, 25-23] road win, the Sycamores (5-7, 5-6 MVC) used 42 kills, 14 coming in each set, and a .342 hitting percentage to take control of the match. Southern Illinois (2-10, 1-9 MVC) ended the day with 37 kills while hitting just .196.
 
Sophomore Taylor Shelton had another strong performance for the Blue & White, leading ISU with 10 kills to go along with five digs. Karinna Gall and Mallory Keller each ended the day with eight kills while Kaitlyn Hamilton and Madeline Williams put down six kills.
 
It was a strong effort in the passing game from the duo of Chloe Mason and Mary Hannah Lewis in Carbondale. Mason earned a team-best 18 assists to go along with eight digs while Lewis tallied 16 assists and four digs.
 
Defensively, the Trees kept the Salukis in check for a majority of the match. Melina Tedrow got down for 10 digs to lead the Sycamores, while Ashley Eck and Mason each recorded eight. As a squad, ISU held a 42-34 advantage over Southern Illinois.
 
Indiana State also managed to control the net on Sunday afternoon in Davies Gym. In her second weekend of seeing significant minutes, freshman Jamie Brown recorded a solo block and two block assists to lead the way alongside Madeline Williams who ended with three block assists. Williams also dominated in the service game, earning a match-best four service aces. The Trees recorded six total blocks in the victory.
 
The Blue & White wasted no time in enforcing their will on the opposition, getting two early blocks from Brown to set the tone in set one. Shelton and Keller each got up for four kills in the set, helping ISU to a .414 hitting percentage for the frame, which ISU took 25-20.
 
Riding the momentum from set one, the Trees began set two on an 8-1 run to start the set and never looked back, holding the Salukis to just 11 points while hitting an impressive .500.
 
Southern Illinois wouldn't go away, however, as the home squad began set three on a 4-2 run. Back-to-back kills by Gall would help ISU regain the lead at 8-5, but the teams would remain close for the duration of the set. The Sycamores had their resolve tested late, as SIU came back to take a 21-20 lead, but an ace from Eck and kill from Hamilton helped the Trees hold on for the set and match victory.
 
The two teams will meet once again tomorrow in Davies Gym for match two of the series. First serve is slated for 4 p.m. ET and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Volleyball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.