TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Kira Holland recorded a career-high 21 kills Friday evening, but visiting Southern Illinois overcame an early deficit to defeat Indiana State in four sets (23-25, 25-15, 25-18, 25-19) inside ISU Arena.
 
Holland also added a team-high 11 digs for her team-leading sixth double-double of the season. Karinna Gall finished one kill and one dig shy of a double-double, while Ella Scott aaded seven kills for the Sycamores.
 
Indiana State got out to a good start, with a kill from Avery Hales and a service ace from Macy Lengacher opening the match. Kills from Scott and Storm Suhre kept the Trees in front in the early stages, and Lengacher stretched the Sycamores' lead to 15-11 at the media timeout with another ace. Kills from Scott and Jadyn Smith, along with an Emma Kaelin ace, made it 20-15 in favor of the Blue and White, hut Southern Illinois went in an 8-2 run to go ahead 23-22. Indiana State bounced back, though, as a kill from Holland and a pair of SIU errors gave the opening set to the Sycamores 25-23.
 
Southern Illinois jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second set and never trailed in the set. Holland kept the Sycamores within four midway through the set with a pair of kills, but that was the closest Indiana State got. Despite seven kills in the set from Holland, Southern Illinois evened the match by taking the second set 25-15.
 
Holland continued her momentum from set two with a pair of early kills to give Indiana State a 3-2 lead in the third set. SIU followed with five straight points, though, to go in front 7-3. Kills from Scott and Gall, along with a three-point run of kills from Holland, got the Sycamores within two at 11-9 midway through, but the Trees couldn't get closer. Southern Illinois extended its lead out to six in the later stages of the set, and despite kills from Kaitlyn Hamilton, Gall and Suhure, the Salukis went in front 2-1 by taking the third 25-18.
 
Kills from Scott and Hamilton got things going for the Sycamores in the fourth set, as neither team led by more than two for the first half of the set. Kills from Holland and Suhre, along with a block assist from Suhre and Hannah Baudin, gave Indiana State a 16-14 lead, but SIU scored five straight points and never trailed for the remainder of the match. Holland got the Sycamores closer with another kill, but Southern Illinois closed out the match by taking the fourth set 25-19.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Kira Holland had four or more kills in all four sets, with 13 of her 21 kills coming in the middle two sets.
• Storm Suhre's five block assists were her second-most in a match this season, trailing only her seven blocks against UIC on October 14.
• Indiana State's .188 hitting percentage was its best in a match since hitting .201 at Evansville on October 9.
• Five different Sycamores recorded six or more digs in Saturday's match.

 
News and Notes

• Kira Holland has recorded double-digit kills in each of the last 11 matches, a streak that dates back to the opening weekend of conference play. She also has double-doubles in each of the last two matches.
• Hannah Baudin and Kaitlyn Hamilton returned to the lineup for the first time since October 9 at Evansville, with both playing in two sets. Baudin had seven assists, while Hamilton had three kills.
• Each of the last seven matches between Indiana State and Southern Illinois have ended in four sets.

 
Up Next
Indiana State closes its two-match homestand Saturday at 5 p.m. against Missouri State.
 
Follow the Sycamores
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. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.