EDWARDSVILL, Ill. - SIUE volleyball heads to Carbondale, Ill. this weekend for the Saluki Invitational. The Cougars (3-6) take on SIU Carbondale (6-3) Friday at 3:00 p.m. following with Missouri State (5-5) on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.

THE COUGARS: Finished with a 2-1 record at the Cougar Classic, beating Chattanooga (3-1) and Bellarmine (3-2) and losing to Murray State (2-3). The Cougars now have a 16-12 record all-time in home openers. 

DOUBLE TROUBLE: In the five set match against Bellarmine, two players recorded double-doubles. Outside hitter Ainsley Ranstead had 13 kills and 10 digs, while setter Alyse Drifka had 22 assists and 12 digs. 

PERSONAL BEST: Middle blocker Nicole Medlin had individual game highs for hitting percentage and kills. Medlin hit at a .500 clip against Chattanooga and recorded 15 kills against Bellarmine. Medlin now leads the team with 79 kills, averaging 1.98 kills a set this season. Bree Schreimann also had a standout performance against Murray State, hitting .429 with 15 kills. 

ON THE DEFENSE: As a team, SIUE has 94 total blocks averaging 2.35 blocks per set. Middle Blocker Taya Nordmann led the Cougars during the Cougar Classic with 19 total blocks. Nordmann leads both the Cougars and the OVC with 49 total blocks this season. Olivia Hogan contributed 53 digs over the weekend, with 22 of them against Murray State.

SERIES: SIUE last played SIU Carbondale in 2022, holding a 2-1 record in the all-time series. In their last meeting, the Cougars and Salukis went five sets, with the Cougars coming out on top. 

The Cougars have faced off with Missouri State twice prior to this weekend, going 0-2. These teams have not seen each other on the court since 2010. 

AT THE HELM: Head Coach Kendall Paulus enters her 17th season with the Cougars and her eighth as head coach, with a career record of 88-102.