CARBONDALE, Ill. (9/8/23) – A third-set comeback sealed a doubleheader split for the Arkansas State volleyball team, which dropped a 3-0 decision to Eastern Illinois before sweeping host Southern Illinois on the opening day of the Saluki Bash.

The Red Wolves (6-2) rallied from a six-point deficit in the third set to upend the host Salukis (6-2) and rebound from their loss to the unbeaten Panthers (7-0) in the morning match.

MATCH 1 | EASTERN ILLINOIS 3 – ARKANSAS STATE 0 | 25-15, 25-20, 25-22

Arkansas State got off to a strong start early in the opening set, but Eastern Illinois pulled even and ultimately rode that momentum to a three-set sweep in Friday’s opening match.

Tegan Seyring led the Red Wolves (5-2) with 12 kills on 21 attempts, hitting .429 in the contest, while Haley Glunz served three of the team’s seven aces on the day. Glunz and Yazmyn Billings accounted for three blocks apiece.

EIU (7-0) hit .309 in the match, led by Natalie Mitchem’s .333 mark on 18 kills.

A-State surged to an early 5-0 lead, with four of those points being on a kill and three aces by Glunz. After the Panthers broke from a timeout, they took eight of the next nine points. Following a kill by Seyring that evened the count at 12-all, EIU scored eight unanswered to lead 20-12. A-State pulled within eight, but the Panthers clinched the set to lead 1-0 in the match.

The Red Wolves led by as much as four in the second set, but an 8-2 run midway through the frame put Eastern Illinois ahead 18-14 following an ace by Giovana Larregui Lopez. A-State pulled to within two on a kill by Billings before the Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the match by taking six of the final nine points.

A pair of early service aces by Erin Madigan and Bailey Helzer in the third set helped the Scarlet and Black to a 6-3 advantage before that lead expanded to five on a kill by Billings. The Panthers clawed back to tie it, taking a 19-17 lead on an ace by Masyn Navarro. After A-State pulled even at 20-all on an Ilayda Dincer kill, EIU claimed five of the last seven points to clinch the match.

MATCH 2 | ARKANSAS STATE 3 – SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 0 | 25-20, 26-24, 25-22

Three players recorded double-digit kills in Arkansas State’s Friday-night sweep over host Southern Illinois, led by Ilayda Dincer’s 12 kills and .304 hitting percentage.

Kaitlin Whitlock added 11 kills and nine digs, while Haley Glunz hit .381 on 11 kills to go along with four blocks. A-State hit .244 as a squad on the offensive side while knocking down eight blocks to stifle the Salukis, who hit .169 on the night. Five Red Wolves accounted for three or more blocks.

Erin Madigan once again guided the offense to the tune of 37 assists to accompany nine digs and three blocks, while Sarah Martinez added six assists and a match-high 23 digs defensively. Yazmyn Billings and Tegan Seyring also added three blocks apiece.

A-State started off strong in the opening set, hitting .333 and never trailing en route to a 25-20 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

In the second set, Glunz and Dincer helped the Scarlet and Black to another .333 mark, but it took extra points to decide the frame. SIU overcame a five-point deficit late in the set to lead 19-18 before holding set point at 24-22. A-State battled back with four consecutive points to take the set 26-24 and lead 2-0 in the match. The Red Wolves improved to 2-0 in extra-point sets this season.

The hosts surged to a 6-0 lead to open the third set, but the Red Wolves clawed back before overtaking the Salukis with a 6-0 spurt to lead 20-19. Seyring and Glunz later teamed up on a block to give A-State set point at 24-21 before Glunz clinched the sweep with a kill two rallies later.

NEXT UP

A-State concludes the Saluki Bash Saturday morning, taking on Alabama A&M at 11 a.m. inside the Banterra Center.  

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