ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The SIUE volleyball team fell in both contests of its two-match series at league-leading Lindenwood, dropping a 3-0 decision Wednesday (25-19, 25-17, 25-13) and a five-set contest Friday (25-21, 25-19, 20-25, 8-25, 6-15).
The Cougars (5-15) ran into an OVC-leading Lions squad that improved to 19-3 overall.
In Wednesday's opener, Lindenwood out-hit SIUE .398 to .184 and held a 50-30 advantage in kills.
Individually, Sophie Robinson led the Cougars with seven kills and eight digs, while Vienna Elliott and Kennedy Pike each added six kills of their own.
The first set of game one was tight early, with the teams trading points until Lindenwood took the 16-15 lead. The Lions then built up a 20-15 advantage, holding off a late push from the Cougars to claim the set, 25-19.
Lindenwood carried that momentum throughout the rest of the match, using a 7-0 run midway through the second set to take control, and later sealed the sweep with a 6-1 effort late in the third set.
Friday's rematch included a tale of two halves as SIUE immediately came out firing, winning the first two sets in dominant fashion to back Lindenwood up against the wall.
The Lions responded by taking the third set, 25-20, and allowing the Cougars to score just 14 points across the final two frames.
Determan led the Cougar offense with 12 kills, matching her career high, and added two blocks. Williams recorded her most kills as a Cougar with eight in the match, also contributing four blocks. Vienna Elliott had a strong night at the net with five blocks, good for her second-highest total of the season.
SIUE travels to Macomb, Ill., for a two-match series at Western Illinois next Friday and Saturday.
