SIUE (5-20, 2-12 OVC) vs. Tennessee State (9-14, 1-13 OVC)
Dates: November 5-6, 2021
First Serve: 6 p.m. CT (Friday), 2 p.m. CT (Saturday)
Location: Kean Hall, Nashville, Tenn.

WHERE WE'RE AT: SIUE volleyball currently sits at 5-20 with non-conference wins over Purdue Fort Wayne (Aug. 27), Eastern Kentucky (Sep. 4), and Western Illinois (Sep. 18), and a pair of Ohio Valley Conference victories over Eastern Illinois (Oct. 5) and Belmont (Oct. 9).

THE TASK AT HAND: The Cougars close out a four-match road trip this weekend in Nashville with a pair of fixtures against Tennessee State. The Tigers have struggled this season, sitting last in the OVC standings. TSU currently sits at #270 in the RPI rankings, ten spots higher than SIUE's #280 position.

LAST TIME OUT: The Cougars gave the defending OVC champion Morehead State Eagles all they could handle last weekend, pushing MSU to five sets on Friday before playing the Eagles very close on Saturday; however, SIUE could not overcome MSU's potent offensive attack and dropped both matches in the Bluegrass State.

IRON SHARPENS IRON: The Cougars put together one of the most competitive non-conference schedules in program history this fall, standing toe-to-toe against three squads currently ranked in the RPI Top 100 and eight ranked in the RPI Top 150.

SPRING RECAP: SIUE volleyball put together one of the most successful campaigns in program history last spring, compiling the third-highest conference winning percentage in the program's Division I era (.714) and earning one of just four spots in the 2020-21 Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Championship. The season also saw four different Cougars earn All-OVC honors, including an All-OVC Second Team nod for redshirt sophomore middle blocker Savannah Christian.

LOOKING AHEAD: Following the weekend's fixtures, the Cougars will close out the regular season at First Community Arena with a two-match fixture against the Murray State Racers.