TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State nearly overcame a two-set deficit Saturday evening against Southern Illinois, but the Sycamores' comeback attempt fell just short in a five-set defeat to the Salukis (25-20, 25-14, 23-25, 23-25, 15-9) inside ISU Arena.
 
Ella Scott and Curry Kendall led the Sycamores' attack with 14 kills apiece, with Kendall also adding a team-high 13 digs for her first career double-double. Emily Weber also recorded a double-double for the Trees with a match-high 46 assists and 12 digs, with Emma Kaelin and Macy Lengacher also tallying 13 digs each for the Blue and White. Scott and Lily Mueller led the Sycamores with two blocks each.
 
Indiana State started the opening set on the right foot with a pair of kills from Kaelin to go along with kills from Scott and Lengacher. Scott and Kira Holland tacked on kills to keep the Trees on par with the Salukis, and consecutive kills from Kendall gave the Sycamores an 11-10 lead. The Sycamores and Salukis traded scoring runs, with Kendall and Kaelin providing kills as the teams were neck-and-neck. Consecutive kills from Scott and Holland knotted the set at 18-all, but a three-point run for SIU was all the separation the Salukis needed. Despite late kills from Mueller and Kendall, the visitors took the opening set 25-20.
 
Kills from Kendall and Mueller opened the Sycamores' account in set two, but SIU started strong to take a 9-3 lead. Holland and Kendall put down kills to pull the Trees within 12-8, but the Trees never got closer than four points in the set. Following a kill from Kaelin to make it 15-11, Southern Illinois rattled off five straight points to take control of the set. Kendall added a late kill, but the Sycamores found themselves facing a 2-0 deficit after dropping the second set 25-14.
 
A kill from Scott and an ace from Kaelin gave Indiana State an early lead in the third set, and Weber added a kill of her own to keep the Trees in front. SIU responded to tie things up at nine, but a pair of kills from Scott and a pair of Saluki errors restored a four-point Sycamore lead. Jadyn Smith added a pair of kills to peek the Trees in front, but Southern Illinois fought back to claw within a point. Kendall and Holland put down kills late, but SIU managed to tie things up. The Sycamores had a response of their own, though, as Smith and Kendall notched kills to close out the third. Indiana State took set three by a 25-23 margin to extend the match.
 
Errors plagued both teams to start the fourth set, though an ace from Weber and kills from Smith and Mueller put the Sycamores ahead 6-5. SIU responded with a scoring run of its own, despite a kill from Mueller, and built a 16-8 lead. The Sycamores never wavered, though, with kills from Holland and Kendall spearheading a run of their own. Holland added an ace, and Weber and Mueller teamed up for a block to level the score at 18-18. Kills from Mueller, Smith and Kendall gave Indiana State a late lead, but the visitors countered with kills of their own to get back on level terms. Indiana State broke through in the end, as Holland and Scott put down kills to give the Sycamores a 25-23 win in the fourth set and send the match to a fifth set.
 
Southern Illinois scored six of the first seven points in set five to take full control in the deciding set. Kills from Scott and Kaelin, along with a Kaelin service ace, pulled the Trees within a pair at 6-4, with Scott adding another kill to keep the Sycamores within reach. Smith put down a pair of kills midway through, and Kendall added another kill of her own, but Southern Ilinois won the fifth set 15-9 to escape Terre Haute with a win.
 
News and Notes

• Indiana State had five different players with double-digit digs for the first time since October 8, 2022, also against Southern Illinois (Emma Kaelin 13, Curry Kendall 13, Macy Lengacher 13, Emily Weber 12, Kira Holland 11). The Sycamores' 73 digs were their most in a match this season.
• Curry Kendall registered double-digit kills for the second straight match, marking the first time in her career with more than 10 kills in consecutive matches.
• Ella Scott's 14 kills were a season-best output, and marked her first match with double-digit kills since an 11-kill performance at Memphis in mid-September.
• Indiana State hit .205 for the match, marking the first time since Sept. 13-14 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Lamar that the Sycamores hit above .200 in back-to-back matches. The Trees hit .208 against Missouri State Friday evening.
• Emily Weber registered back-to-back 40-assist outings for the first time in her Sycamore career (43 Friday vs. Missouri State, 46 Saturday vs. Southern Illinois).
• Indiana State had a 2-1 ratio of service aces to service errors, with six aces compared to just three service errors.
• Saturday's match was the third five-set match for Indiana State this season, with the Sycamores going 1-2 in those matches. It was also Indinaa State's first five-set match in conference play since October 14, 2022 at Illinois State.

 
Up Next
Indiana State closes its three-match homestand Monday at 6 p.m. against Evansville. Monday's match is Student Organization Night at ISU Arena.
 
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