THE BASICS: SIUE volleyball continues its 2023 campaign at home, welcoming Tennessee Tech for a pair of matches. The Cougars (8-9, 2-4 OVC) will face the Golden Eagles (6-12, 2-5 OVC) on Friday at 5:00 p.m. before closing the weekend at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT: After falling to Southern Indiana on Friday, Oct. 6 in four sets, the Cougars regrouped on Saturday to earn their first reverse sweep of the season. The Cougars concluded the match with a .147 attack percentage while picking up 11 blocks.
THE SERIES: Friday marks the 15th meeting between the Cougars and Golden Eagles dating back to 2011. Tennessee Tech owns a 10-4 advantage in the series and have taken the last six contests.
NATIONAL RANKS: The Cougars lead the Ohio Valley Conference and rank 39th in the NCAA with 164 total blocks. SIUE has picked up double-digit total blocks in 10 matches this season, including a season-high 15 vs. SEMO on Sep. 30. Priscilla Jones leads SIUE with 71 this season, good for second in the league. Chelsey Abel's 0.94 blocks per set is tied for ninth.
100 KILL CLUB: Four Cougars have registered over 100 kills this season: Priscilla Jones (177), Sydney Hummert (175), Julia Treichel (142) and Chelsey Abel. Hummert's 2.65 kills per set leads the team and ranks 12th in the conference.
DIG IT: Freshman Abi Banitt's 242 digs this season ranks sixth in the conference. She has collected 10 or more in 15 of SIUE's 17 contests this season. Treichel (173), Drifka (152), and Hummert (150) are the only other Cougars to tally 100 or more digs this season.
SERVING UP ACES: Hummert's 23 service aces are tied for ninth in the OVC. She is averaging 0.35 aces per set. Treichel (16), Banitt (16), Drifka (14), Grace Beekman (10), and Corinna Jones (10) have also registered double-digit aces.
AT CENTER COURT: Drifka leads SIUE with 341 assists this season. Grace Beekman's 192 assists rank second on the team while her 5.33 assists per set rank ninth in the OVC. Corinna Jones has dished out 153 assists this season, averaging 4.00 per set.
AT THE HELM: Paulus enters her seventh season in charge of the Cougars, owning an all-time record of 83-95. Paulus is SIUE's second longest tenured volleyball head coach behind Todd Gober, who coached the Cougars for 10 seasons.
PROMOTIONS/TICKET INFORMATION: Both Friday and Saturday's contests will be free for fans to attend. On Friday, SIUE volleyball has partnered with the Cougar Cupboard, encouraging fans to donate canned goods. Any fan who makes a canned good donation to the Cougar Cupboard will receive a free ticket voucher for a future home volleyball match.
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Stay connected with the Cougars all season long by following @SIUEVolleyball on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
