Five-set thriller sees Southeast Missouri State volleyball victimized for Southern Illinois' first win

It took every ounce of five sets to determine a winner, but the Southeast Missouri State volleyball team suffered its fourth straight defeat, falling to regional rival Southern Illinois on Tuesday in Carbondale, Illinois.

The Salukis (1-7) took the victory by scores of 20-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-17 and 15-13 to grab their first win of the season.

Southeast (5-6) got a career-high 20 kills from Mikayla Kuhlmann to pace the offensive attack, while Krissa Gearring had 13 kills and Nzingha Clarke added 12.

Setter Keegan Fornoff had 31 assists for the Redhawks, while Allie Henkelman had 20. The defensive effort was led by 15 digs apiece from Gearring and Emily Boggetto.

SIU got a double-double from Abby Barrow, who had a team-high 16 kills and had 12 digs. Alayna Martin led the hosts with 32 assists, while Ashley Edelen had 22 digs.

SIU won the final two sets to secure a victory, stepping up its attacking game with hitting percentages of .500 and .444 in the final two games, respectively. Prior to that, the Salukis' best clip was .286 in the second set.

Southeast found itself down by as many as four points in the opening game but rallied to take its first lead of the game at 19-18 and held on the rest of the way.

The second game saw the script reversed, as the Redhawks led out of the gates, but SIU jumped on top midway through the proceedings and never trailed again, even with Southeast pulling as close as 22-21 late.

The Redhawks took a critical lead in the match by claiming the third set, in which they used a three-point swing to push out to an 18-13 advantage and provide the cushion they needed to put themselves in a position of strength.

The Redhawks did not take advantage, though, as they managed just 34 total attacks in the fourth and potentially decisive set, never really threatening the Salukis' cause.

That set up a winner-take-all final game, and the Redhawks let a 4-0 start get away, with SIU scoring the final three points to nip Southeast 15-13 and take the match.

Southeast is back on the court Friday at the Chicago State Tournament, facing Wright State and Eastern Michigan. It closes tournament Saturday against host Chicago State.

— From staff report