CARBONDALE, Ill. - The SIUE volleyball team rallied from a 2-0 deficit at SIU Carbondale to force a fifth set for the fourth consecutive match only to fall 3-2 on the road Tuesday night from Davies Gym.

The Salukis picked up the victory in the first-ever volleyball meeting between the two sister schools 25-21, 25-20, 16-25, 23-25, 15-8.

Neither team being a stranger to playing extended matches, Tuesday marked the sixth time this season each has reached the fifth set of a match.

"I love the heart our team played with to get through into the fifth set," said SIUE Head Coach Leah Johnson. "We are very resilient and I love that."

After dropping the opening two points of the match, the Cougars, now 7-10 overall, responded with a pair of kills from junior Brianne Graunke to take a 3-2 lead.

SIUE climbed back from a 7-5 deficit behind the service of sophomore Cori Harris to jump in front 9-7. The see-saw action continued as the teams combined for 11 ties and eight lead changes in the opening set.

It was SIU Carbondale, now 7-6 overall, that made a late charge taking command on its way to a 25-21 win, the largest lead for either team in the set.

The second set opened with the Cougars storming out to an 8-3 lead with five-consecutive points. Kills by four different Cougars players (Julia Whitfield, Graunke, Augustine, and Anderson) highlighted the run.

Whitfield led the Cougars on the night with 14 kills while Anderson and Augustine hit double-figure with 11 and 10, respectively.

SIUE maintained its slight advantage for the majority of the second set still clinging to a 14-10 lead. The lead would not last long as a 10-3 run by the Salukis put them in front for good.

SIU Carbondale closed the second set 25-20 after winning five of the final seven points for the 2-0 set lead.

The Cougars opened the third set on a mission jumping in front 8-4 behind a 5-1 run. The Salukis answered right back with four straight to even the set 8-8.

Momentum swung back to SIUE as senior Jessica Hemann led the charge during an 8-1 run with a kill and a spirited solo block to put the Cougars ahead 16-9.

Augustine served the final three points for SIUE as it stayed alive with a 25-16 win in set three. The Cougars forced 10 attack errors and a negative hitting percentage for the Salukis for just the fourth time in a set this season.

"In set three, we came out and took control from the first point," added Johnson. "We executed in each position so we were stronger as a unit."

After quickly falling behind 3-0 to open set four, the Cougars rallied for a 4-3 lead behind a service ace from junior Sammi Minton and kills by sophomore Lexi Cibulka and Anderson.

SIU Carbondale later evened the score 8-8 but SIUE regained control with a 5-0 run as Whitfield and Hemann combined for three kills.

The Cougars continued to press increasing their lead to as many as seven 21-14 with another pair of kills from Hemann but a late rally by SIU Carbondale made the end of the fourth set nerve-racking.

SIUE closed the set 25-23 on its fourth set-point to force the decisive fifth set.

Having played its last three matches to five sets on the road, Tuesday was no exception as the Cougars continued to battle for every point of the evening.

The Salukis took control early in the fifth with a 5-2 start forcing a timeout from SIUE. SIU Carbondale continued to push through eventually claiming the match with a 15-8 victory in set five.

In a defensive battle, the Cougars tied a season high with 83 digs led by freshman Chelsea Colclasure's 21. Minton, Whitfield, and junior Brooke Smith all reached double-digit digs with 18, 16, and 10, respectively.

"There was incredible defense on both sides of the net," said Johnson. "I felt like when it got tough, we got tougher. We really made big plays to keep the ball alive and allow our attackers another opportunity to score points."

Alysia Mayes led all hitters in the match with 20 kills for the Salukis while Jessica Whitehead and Laura Thole also reached double-figure kills with 13.

"This would be an incredible rivalry," added Johnson. "This match was a positive for both universities and both programs."

Seeing its four-match road trip come to an end, SIUE returns to the Vadalabene Center for an OVC matchup with Morehead State Friday night at 7 p.m.

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