CARBONDALE, Ill. - Indiana State volleyball secured their second-straight conference win in four tonight versus. Southern Illinois. The Sycamores continue conference play on the road Saturday, Oct. 4 at Evansville. 
 
The Trees' offense was led by Kira Holland with 17 kills, followed closely by Curry Kendall with 11 and Hadley Hardersen with 10. Holland also led the defense with 16 digs, Emily Weber added an additional 15 and Chole Gilley with 13 digs. 
 
Set 1 | Indiana State 25, SIU 22
The Sycamores opened the set in a back and forth manner. It was not until a 7-0 serving run, aided in part by kills by Holland and Hardersen, that gave the Sycamores a six-point lead. The Salukies were able to string a few runs together to battle back to tie the game at 22. However, two kills by Kendall gave the Trees the edge to close out set one. 
 
Set 2 | Indiana State 26, SIU 24
The Salukies opened up set two with a 7-1 run. A kill by Kendall set the Sycamores up for a 6-0 run to bring the game back to even. The rest of the match was back and forth with neither team having a larger lead than three. A kill by Kendall and a block by both Kimora Whetstone and Kendall gave the Sycamores the two-point edge in an extended set. 
 
Set 3 | SIU 25, Indiana State 17
Both teams came out wanting to put this set away. With the game knotted at nine, the Salukies went on an 8-0 run that ultimately led to the eight-point set victory. Despite kills by Hardersen and Whetstone, SIU finished the set with a .483 hitting percentage as a team to take the set from Indiana State.
 
Set 4 | Indiana State 25, SIU 23
The Sycamores were able to open set four on a 4-3 run on the backs of errors by the Salukies' offense. Despite back and forth efforts by both teams, the Sycamores took the lead at 3-2 early in the set and kept the edge over the Salukies until late into the fourth. An error by the Trees tied the game at 19. A kill by Ava Robart and a service ace by Ella Scott gave the Sycamores a crucial three-point lead at 22-19. Despite attempts by the Salukies, a kill by Holland sealed the deal for Sycamores to secure their second conference win in a row. 
 
News and Notes

• Indiana State recorded back-to-back MVC wins for the first time since November 20 and 25, 2021.
• The Sycamores hit .177 and tallied up 70 total digs and secured the win despite the Salukies hitting .230 and having 73 digs. 
• This win marks the first time the Sycamores beat SIU in the Ashlee Pritchard era (dating back through the start of the 2022 season). 
• Out of the six main categories, SIU finished with better numbers in five:
  • Total points: Indiana State 63, SIU 74
  • Kills: Indiana State 54, SIU 59
  • Aces: Indiana State 3, SIU 2
  • Block: Indiana State 6, SIU 13
  • Assists: Indiana State 52, SIU 56
  • Digs: Indiana State 70, SIU 73
• Kira Holland, Emily Weber, and Avery Hales all recorded a double-double for the second-straight match. 
• Kimora Whetstone finished with a .444 hitting percentage, the eighth time this season.
• Hadley Hardersen recorded back-to-back 10-kill matches for the first time this season.
• With Kira Holland (16) and Chloe Gilley (15) recording 15+ digs, it marks the first time done so since October 2024.

 
Up Next
The Sycamores head to the University of Evansville on Saturday, Oct. 4 for a 6 p.m. ET start time.

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