THE BASICS: SIUE volleyball continues its 2023 season on the road at Morehead State for a pair of matches. The Cougars (12-11, 6-6 OVC) will face the Eagles (14-11, 7-6) on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. before closing the series at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT: SIUE downed Tennessee State last weekend, 3-0 and 3-2. The Cougars combined for a .217 attack percentage while serving up 16 service aces. Priscilla Jones led the Cougars' attack with 24 kills on a .333 clip. Defensively, Abi Banitt and Sydney Hummert led SIUE with 26 digs each while Chelsey Abel led the Cougars with six blocks.
THE SERIES: Thursday marks the 19th meeting between the Cougars and Eagles dating back to 2009. Morehead State owns an 8-10 advantage in the series, but the Cougars have taken eight of the last 11 contests between the two schools.
BLOCK PARTY: The Cougars lead the Ohio Valley Conference and rank 46th in the NCAA with 215 total blocks. SIUE has picked up double-digit total blocks in 12 matches, including a season-high 15 vs. SEMO on Sep. 30. Priscilla Jones leads SIUE with 96, good for second in the league. Chelsey Abel's 0.94 blocks per set ranks 10th.
200 KILL CLUB: Two Cougars have registered over 200 kills this season: Priscilla Jones (245) and Sydney Hummert (243). Julia Treichel (147), Chelsey Abel (129), and Bree Schreimann (114), and Savannah Christian (108) have recorded over 100 kills. Hummert's 2.67 kills per set leads the team and ranks 11th in the conference.
DIG IT: Banitt's 330 digs this season ranks seventh in the conference. She has collected 10 or more in 21 of SIUE's 23 contests. Hummert (238), Drifka (219), Treichel (177), and Corinna Jones (115) are the only other Cougars to tally 100 or more digs this season. SIUE ranks fifth in the OVC and 69th in the country with 1,382 total digs.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: Hummert has tallied double-doubles in seven of SIUE's last nine contests, dating back to Sep. 30 vs. Southeast Missouri. The junior has 11 double-doubles. Drifka leads the Cougars with 13 this season.
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Stay connected with the Cougars all season long by following @SIUEVolleyball on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
