THE COUGARS: Continue their 2022 campaign on Friday, Nov. 17 at 6:00 p.m at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The Cougars hold the No. 8 seed and will take on No. 1 UT Martin.
LAST TIME OUT: SIUE downed Southern Indiana in four sets on Friday before taking victory in five sets on Saturday. The Cougars had a .235 attack percentage compared to the Screaming Eagles' .175.
Jessica Vineyard finished with 11 total blocks on Friday, the first double-digit blocking effort by a Cougar since 2015. She added three more on Saturday. Sydney Hummert led the Cougars' attack with 24 kills, while Julia Treichel and Priscilla Jones each added 23. Â
TOURNAMENT TIME: SIUE will play in the OVC Tournament for the first time since 2019.
SERIES STUFF: Thursday marks the 29th meeting between the Cougars and Skyhawks. Earlier this season, UT Martin bested the Cougars, sweeping in both matches. The Cougars have fallen in the last four meetings to the Skyhawks.
SCOUTING UT MARTIN: The Skyhawks are 22-10 overall and 15-3 in OVC play this season. At home, UT Martin is 10-3 this season and have won eight of its last nine game.
200 KILL CLUB: Five Cougars have recorded over 200 kills on the offensive end this season: Sydney Hummert (309), Savannah Christian (249). Priscilla Jones (218), Julia Treichel (211), and Ainsley Ranstead (204).
INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCE RANKS: Sydney Hummert holds the 10th spot in the OVC averaging 2.73 kills per set this season. Caroline Waite's 628 assists rank sixth. Nicole Kijowski's 498 digs are good for fifth in the conference and 39th in the nation.
MILESTONES: Alyse Drifka notched 1,000 career assists last weekend. Savannah Christian needs two more blocks to hit the 200 mark. Â
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nicole Kijowski earned Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors in the OVC Oct. 31 after averaging 5.82 D/S over three matches. Sydney Hummert earned Offensive Player of the Week honors Sep. 19 after recording double-doubles in three straight matches.
AT THE HELM: Head Coach Kendall Paulus is in her sixth season in charge of the Cougars. She owns a career record of 75-85 as head coach.
