THE BASICS: SIUE volleyball will play its final series of the regular season on the road at Little Rock for a pair of midweek matches. The Cougars (13-14, 7-9 OVC) will face the Trojans (9-18, 6-10 OVC) on Wednesday and Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: After falling in straight sets to Eastern Illinois on Friday, SIUE capped off its senior day with a reverse sweep to finish last weekend 1-1. Priscilla Jones paced the Cougars offensively, collecting 22 kills on 43 swings for a .395 attack percentage. She also led the Cougars with 11 blocks.
THE SERIES: Wednesday marks the third meeting between the Cougars and Trojans dating back to last season. SIUE took both matches against Little Rock in Edwardsville last year, 3-2 and 3-1.
BLOCK PARTY: The Cougars lead the Ohio Valley Conference and rank 39th in the NCAA with 253 total blocks. SIUE has picked up double-digit total blocks in 14 matches, including a season-high 15 vs. SEMO on Sep. 30. Priscilla Jones leads SIUE with 114, good for second in the league and 63rd in the nation. Chelsey Abel's 0.96 blocks per set ranks ninth in the league.
200 KILL CLUB: Two Cougars have registered over 200 kills this season: Sydney Hummert (285) and Priscilla Jones (283). Julia Treichel (147), Chelsey Abel (144), Savannah Christian (125) and Bree Schreimann (122) have recorded over 100 kills. Hummert's 2.66 kills per set leads the team and ranks 11th in the conference.
DIG IT: Banitt's 345 digs this season ranks eighth in the conference. Hummert (278), Drifka (250), Treichel (181), and Corinna Jones (138) are the only other Cougars to tally 100 or more digs this season. SIUE ranks fifth in the OVC and 76th in the country with 1,588 total digs.
AT CENTER COURT: Drifka leads SIUE and ranks ninth in the OVC with 543 assists. Corinna Jones and Grace Beekman have dished out assists this season with 308 and 192, respectively.
AT THE HELM: Paulus enters her seventh season in charge of the Cougars, owning an all-time record of 88-95. Against conference opponents, she owns a 58-56 record.
Stay connected with the Cougars all season long by following @SIUEVolleyball on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
