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Box Score 2 STARKVILLE, Miss. – SIUE volleyball recorded its biggest win of the Division I era Friday with a four-set road victory over Mississippi State.
The Cougars improved to 7-6 overall with a 25-21, 22-25, 26-24, 25-21 win over the host Bulldogs, of the Southeastern Conference, in their own tournament. SIUE dropped a three-set decision earlier in the day to Pacific 25-16, 25-10, 25-18.
SIUE Head Coach Leah Johnson said she was extremely pleased with how her team came back.
"This was a defining moment for this team," said Johnson. "We're going to be in this kind of situation during conference play, and this is our opportunity for how we are going to prepare after a poor performance."
Kristen Torre led the Cougars with 15 kills and a .406 hitting percentage.
"I thought she was exceptional today," Johnson said. The junior middle hitter has become more versatile on offense and is attacking from multiple positions along the net. That, according to Johnson, has made her more versatile.
Ashley Witt finished with 12 kills while Alicia Streetar and Emily Harrison added nine each.
SIUE outhit the Bulldogs 56-42 in kills. Alex Warren led the Bulldogs with 14 kills and was the lone player with double figures. Mississippi State dropped to 5-9 overall.
The SIUE serving game, ranked No. 32 nationally in service aces per set coming into the tournament, turned up the heat against Mississippi State. The Cougars picked up three service aces from setter Mallory Mangun and two each from Torre, Haley Norris, and Kaitlyn O'Reilly. SIUE had 11 service aces in all and hit the double digit mark in that category as a team for the second time this season (Rutgers 13).
"I thought our service game was aggressive," Johnson noted. "We put them in poor passing situations even when we didn't get a service ace."
Johnson said SIUE was its own worst enemy in the Pacific match in which it managed just 17 kills in three sets. The Cougars more than tripled that output in kills against Mississippi State.
Johnson also credited SIUE's defense and libero Chelsea Colclasure.
"She carried the team on her back," said Johnson. "She made plays tonight. She has found her game again."
Colclasure finished with a season-high 27 digs against the Bulldogs. Haley Norris added 16 digs while Witt added 10.
SIUE has two more matches left Saturday at the Bulldog Invitational. The Cougars face North Dakota in a 10 a.m. and Mississippi Valley State at 5 p.m.
