SIUE (11-12, 6-6 OVC) vs. UT Martin (16-9, 10-2 OVC)
Friday, October 28, 2022: 6 p.m. (Pink SIUE keychain giveaway/Scouts night)
Saturday, October 29, 2022: 2 p.m. (Title IX Game/T-shirt giveaway)
Edwardsville, Illinois | First Community Arena
The SIUE Cougars continue their 2022 campaign this weekend in a series against Tennessee-Martin.
Previously, SIUE earned a reverse sweep win over Lindenwood on Tuesday, breaking a four-game losing streak. The Cougars finished the match with a .262 attack percentage and took advantage of 17 service errors by the Lions.
Three Cougars finished the match with a double-double: Nicole Kijowski (10 assists, 25 digs), Alyse Drifka (21 assists, 10 digs), and Caroline Waite (17 assists, 10 digs). Savannah Christian and Ainsley Ranstead paced the Cougars’ attack with 11 kills each.
After a five-game midseason road swing, SIUE returns home for its first match at First Community Arena since Oct. 8 vs. Little Rock. The Cougars finished their road trip 1-4 and are 4-1 at home this season.
Series info on SIUE vs. UT Martin (Tennessee-Martin)
Friday marks the 27th meeting between the Cougars and Skyhawks since 2008. SIUE is 15-11 against UT Martin in its program’s history and is 2-2 in its last four matches in Edwardsville.
UT Martin is 16-9 overall and 10-2 in OVC play, good for the top spot in the conference standings. The Skyhawks have taken six of their last seven and are 5-3 as the visitors this season.
SIUE will be participating this weekend in Side-Out Foundation’s Dig Pink program to raise money toward research specifically for patients with metastatic breast cancer. The team’s goal is to raise $500.
Game notes
Five Cougars have recorded over 100 kills on the offensive end this season: Hummert (242), Christian (202), Julia Treichel (178), Priscilla Jones (167), and Ranstead (156).
Waite holds the seventh spot in the OVC with 505 assists this season. Jones ranks eighth in the OVC with 82 total blocks. Kijowski’s 4.24 digs per set and 382 total digs are good for fifth in the conference.
UPCOMING MILESTONES: Hummert is three kills away from notching 500 career kills at SIUE. Waite eclipsed 2,000 collegiate assists at Lindenwood on Tuesday.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hummert earned Offensive Player of the Week honors in the OVC Sep. 19. after recording double-doubles in three straight matches.
AT THE HELM: Head Coach Kendall Paulus is beginning her sixth season in charge of the Cougars. She owns a career record of 73-81 as head coach.
Owen Hetherington is an athletic communications assistant at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.
