EDWARSVILLE, Ill. – Cori Harris saw a career high in kills once again as SIUE volleyball downed defending Ohio Valley Conference tournament champions Belmont 25-18, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22 Saturday at the Vadalabene Center.

The victory helped the Cougars even their OVC record to 2-2 with an overall mark of 6-11. Belmont dropped to 8-12 overall and 1-3 in the OVC.

Harris recorded SIUE's season high in kills with 19, which is also a personal best. The Cougar senior was consistent throughout the match but saved the best for the fourth set with six kills.

"Cori got better as the match was going on. I was really pleased with her efficiency," said SIUE Head Coach Leah Johnson. Harris hit .208 for the match and added three blocks.

It came down to minimizing errors for the Cougars. That became apparent early in the match. SIUE took the first set with just three attack errors.

Belmont, the OVC preseason favorite in the East Division, also struggled from the service line with 14 errors, including five in the opening set. Allison McCoy led the Bruins in kills with 12.

"I think set one was the most critical for us. We played so steady and sided out at 83 percent. That's exceptional. That gave us a lot of confidence," said Johnson.

The Bruins didn't back down from the Cougars, coming out to a strong start in set two. After grabbing a 10-1 lead, Belmont held on to even the match. Errors, once again, played a major role in the outcome of the set as SIUE committed 12 attack errors.

The Cougars pulled to within five points with a late run.

"The way we pushed back to make a run at the end is why we were able to come out in set three and be so strong," said Johnson.

SIUE defensive specialist Haley Norris, who finished with a career-high 24 digs, saw the team show more confidence at the second-set break.

"We just limited our errors. We know that what we do on our side of the net is going to affect that," said Norris.

Johnson said Norris was up to the challenge.

"For the last week, she has been passing some of the best in the practice gym. She dug the ball in system so our transition game was great because of her," she said.

Both teams had to believe the third set was going to go their way. It featured 19 tie scores and 12 lead changes. The Cougars were lifted by the 194 fans who helped provide some motivation.

SIUE also excelled in another area of its defense. The Cougars finished with 11 blocks, including six from Kristen Torre and five from Kelsey Augustine.

"We focused the last few days on blocking," Johnson said. "I was excited for the team that showed up in the match."

Torre and Augustine each had nine kills for the Cougars. It was the third time this season Torre had gone without an attack error.

Johnson also noted that freshman Taylor Held played a key role in the victory. She was able to manage the "junk" at the net and keep the Cougars in critical points.

"I was really pleased with her performance," Johnson added.

SIUE next returns to the road for two matches next week. The Cougars face Eastern Kentucky for a Friday match and then Morehead State Saturday.