EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE Volleyball is heading to Clarksville, Tennessee this weekend for the Austin Peay Governors Classic, where the Cougars will open the weekend with a pair of matches Friday. SIUE will face SIUE Carbondale at 10 a.m. before taking on host Austin Peay at 7 p.m. The Cougars will then wrap up the weekend Saturday morning with an 11 a.m. matchup with Gardner-Webb.
 
SERIES: SIUE has faced both SIU Carbondale and Austin Peay several times in recent years, with the Cougars holding a 3-1 record against the Salukis, winning each of the last three meetings. SIUE also owns a 9-17 record against the Governors, including a victory in the most recent matchup in September 2025.
 
The weekend also features a new opponent for the Cougars, as Saturday's game against Gardner-Webb will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
 
STANDOUT STATS: Several Cougars enter the weekend among the top-10 statistical leaders in the Ohio Valley Conference. Senior Anika Ivester leads the league with 1.04 blocks per set and ranks second with 27 total blocks despite missing three matches due to injury.
 
Fifth year Paige Bernstein and sophomore Ally Hughes each rank among the OVC's top-10 in both assists and service aces. Bernstein currently has 176 assists and 11 aces, while Hughes has 133 assists and 12 service aces on the season.
 
WEEKLY AWARDS: The Cougars also enter the fourth weekend of the season with some recent individual awards, as freshman Georgia Bresnahan was named the Ohio Valley Conference "Rookie of the Week" following a weekend in which she totaled 28 kills and 18 digs. Her top singular performance of the weekend came against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, recording 11 kills on 26 attempts for a .308 attack percentage.