TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Freshman Kristen Torre took advantage of her first career start with a season-high 20 kills Saturday as SIUE defeated host Indiana State 23-25, 25-16, 20-25, 25-17, 15-12 at the opening day of the Jessica Barkman Memorial Classic.

SIUE volleyball is now 2-3 after splitting its matches Saturday. The Cougars dropped a five-set match to Western Illinois earlier in the day 17-25, 25-19, 25-17, 23-25, 15-13.

Torre was told of her first collegiate start just minutes before the Indiana State match begun. SIUE Head Coach Leah Johnson gave her the news.

"I said 'Are you ready to be big time?' You need to do two things -- be simple and efficient. If you do those things, you'll be great," said Johnson.

Torre hit .390 for the match and added three blocks.

Johnson said Torre kept hitting over Indiana State's front line, which made the Cougars want to give her more opportunities.

"Once (setter) Sammi (Minton) got into a rhythm, she got into a good flow," said Johnson.

That good flow also benefitted Kelsey Augustine who finished with 16 kills. The junior middle blocker hit an astounding .469 against the Sycamores and equalled Toree with three blocks. Augustine's final block was on match point.

Johnson said the big night for Torre and Augustine was started by a strong defense that kept the team in system for most of the match and made Minton's job easier to connect to her hitters.

Johnson also credited sophomore outside hitter Emma Anderson for her offense that netted 15 kills. Johnson said she told her outside hitters they needed to minimize errors.

Indiana State, 1-5, was led by 14 kills from Shea Doran.

Earlier in the day, Western Illinois went five sets with the Cougars. SIUE had defeated the Leathernecks less than a week ago, but Western Illinois won the match on a neutral court. Samantha Fournier came up big for the Leathernecks with 21 kills.

Torre led SIUE off the bench with 14 kills. She was one of four SIUE players with double-digit kills against Western Illinois. Anderson finished with 13 while Augustine and Cori Harris added 11 each.

The Cougars now will have a quick turnaround for the final game of the tournament. SIUE meets Loyola (Ill.) for an 11 a.m. ET match.

"We're excited about the challenge," Johnson added.