EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Despite a team-leading nine kills from freshman outside hitter Alicia Streetar, SIUE dropped a three-set match to visiting Akron at the Vadalabene Center.

Akron took what would be the championship match of the Cougar Classic 25-17, 25-22, 25-17.

Streetar hit a team-leading .615 in just her second collegiate match. Seniors Cori Harris and Kelsey Augustine added seven kills each for the Cougars, now 0-2.

"We were excited to switch things around and see what she could do on the left after she had a game under her belt on the right," said SIUE Head Coach Leah Johnson. "We asked her to take a bigger load, and she did. She played hard and had big swings."

SIUE minimized its errors on day two of the tournament with only 12 in the match. As a team, SIUE hit .244 with 33 kills.

"Our offense is the highlight of our game," said Johnson. "Every single person on the court can score for us. We have a lot of versatility. Tonight, I was pleased to see that we limited our errors."

Alex Cocklin led Akron with 11 kills and a .556 hitting percentage. The Zips, 2-0, completed a sweep for the day after previously defeating Indiana State in five sets earlier Saturday. Akron hit .374 as a team against the Cougars.

"The challenge came when we had to stop their offense," noted Johnson.

The Cougars will look to rebound Sunday with a 12:30 matchup against Auburn. It will be the first-ever meeting against the Tigers, a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

"I know we are a great defensive team, but we will continue to get better as we mature in our system and our lineup becomes a bit more sound," Johnson added.

All-Tournament Team
Tournament MVP - Alex Cocklin, Akron
Kelsey Wilson, Akron
Mary Delich, Akron
Cassandra Willis, Indiana State
Morgan Dall, Indiana State
Kristen Torre, SIUE