Sept. 12, 2005
www.siusalukis.com

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Conference Opener The Salukis are set to open the 2005 Missouri Valley Conference season at home when they host the Evansville Aces Tuesday Sept. 13.

The Salukis beat Evansville, 3-2, in two contests last season, tying for seventh-place in the MVC with the Aces. This will be the 31st meeting between Evansville and SIU. Southern has won 26 of the last 30 contests between the teams, including seven of the last 10 meetings.

Last Week SIU dropped two games in the 26th Saluki Invitational over the weekend to Missouri-Kansas City and Arkansas State. Friday night Southern lost 3-2 to the Kangaroos led by Jene' Pulliam with 16 kills and Marissa Washington with 13. Saturday afternoon the Salukis were swept 3-0 by the Indians of Arkansas State. Katy DeWulf and Johannah Yutzy paced the Salukis with nine kills each.

The Aces UE played in the Portland State Crowne Plaza Showcase this past weekend. The Aces, 0-4 on the weekend played tough, including Cal-State Fullerton, Oregon and host Portland State. The four opposing teams in the tournament combined for an overall record of 27-8. Junior libero Sarah McClellan was ranked 12th nationally last week in digs per game at 5.65. As a team UE was ranked 17th with 18.8. The Aces are 3-6 on the season, earning wins against Austin Peay, DePaul and Chicago State.

Salukis On The Radio For the first time at Southern Illinois, volleyball games will be broadcast live from Davies Gym. All 11 of SIU's home games will be streamed on WIDB, SIU's only student-run radio station. Games can be heard on WIDB.net, www.siusalukis.com and via university cable channel 5 in the SIU dorms. Volleyball coverage on WIDB.net will include pre and post-game interviews with Saluki head coach Brenda Winkeler and a weekly spot on WIDB The Revolution's Wednesday evening and Saturday morning sports shows. QuickTime Player is required to listen for all webcasts.

On The World Wide Web Media, student-athletes and fans can access the most up-to-date information pertaining to Saluki Volleyball by visiting www.siusalukis.com. Features of the site include player and coach profiles, statistics, schedules, rosters, live stats and press releases.

Salukis Look Ahead The Salukis return five starters from last year's young team that went 9-21 overall and 6-12 in league play. SIU lost just two seniors, including libero Erica Miller and middle blocker Carrie Shephard. The Salukis return 85 percent of their offense in 2005, including team-leaders in kills (Haley Hann, 318), kills per game (Jene' Pulliam, 2.83), hitting percentage (Marissa Washington, .304), assists (Holly Marita, 1,231) and service aces (Holly Marita, 26).

Sophomores Yesterday, Juniors Today Last year's young group of sophomores has quickly turned into this season's batch of experienced returnees as all six juniors on this season's squad logged quality playing time in 2004. Led by outside hitter Jene' Pulliam (2.83 kpg, 2.55 dpg), rightside hitter Haley Hann (2.81 kpg, 1.04 dpg) and setter Holly Marita (10.89 apg, 2.29 dpg), this year's crop of juniors is looking to improve on their seventh-place finish in the Valley in 2004.

Picked Eighth in Preseason Valley Coaches Poll The Southern Illinois volleyball team was picked eighth in the 2005 Missouri Valley Conference preseason coaches poll. The Salukis had 28 points, six behind Evansville (36), who tied with SIU for seventh-place in the Valley in 2004. Defending regular season and tournament champion Wichita State was picked to repeat with 94 points and seven first-place votes.

Valley Rankings The Salukis rank in the top five in the Valley as a team in two categories after the first two weeks of play. SIU is first in service aces averaging 1.53 per game. Southern is ranked fourth in hitting percentage with .226.Wichita State ranks first with .274.

Winkeler Takes Over At SIU After five years as the head volleyball coach at Eastern Illinois, Brenda Winkeler took over as head coach for the Salukis in July. Winkeler became the sixth head coach in the 43-year history of Saluki volleyball. At Eastern, Winkeler posted an 82-72 record, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and share of the Ohio Valley Conference title in 2004. Winkeler takes over for 14-year head coach Sonya Locke, who resigned in the spring.

Winkeler No Stranger to Winning Before taking over the reigns at Eastern, Winkeler spent 11 years at Parkland Community College, winning three conference championships, and the 1999 NJCAA National Championship, her final season. Winkeler's junior college record was 428-164-9, making her a lock for the Division I level.

Washington Named to All-Tournament Team Senior middle blocker, Marissa Washington was named to the 26th Saluki Invitational All-Tournament team for the second-straight year Sept. 9-10 after leading the Salukis (1-4) in kills (21) and hitting (.395) percentage in two matches over the weekend. She posted a season-high 13 kills in a 3-2 loss to Missouri-Kansas City Friday. She hit .522 on the night (13 kills, 1 error, 23 attacks). Saturday afternoon she came back post eight kills, four block assists and three digs along with a .250 hitting percentage (8 kills, 3 errors, 20 attempts). She averaged 2.62 kills, 1.00 block per game and a .395 hitting percentage over weekend. She also added three digs and one assist on the tournament. Her season percentage (.395) ranks third in the MVC this season.

Washington in the Books The Salukis' lone senior, Marissa Washington led her team in hitting percentage in 2003 and 2004. Her .285 career hitting percentage is fifth all-time at SIU. Her .304 hitting percentage in 2004 ranks ninth in the Saluki record books.

Attack Percentage
1. Sonya Locke 1979-82 .320
2. Lindsey Schultz 1999-02 .311
3. Britten Follett 1999-02 .295
4. Laura Pier 1995-98 .290
5. Marissa Washington 2002-pr. .281

Marita Set-tles into the Books In 2004, junior Holly Marita recorded 1,231 assists, the seventh-best single-season assist tally in school history. Her career total of 2,337 ranks her fifth all-time at SIU.

Assists
1. Debbie Barr 1996-99 5057
2. Lisa Cummins 1982-85 3249
3. Kim Golebiewski 1992-95 2796
4. Martha Firnhaber 1989-91 2433
5. Holly Marita 2003-pr. 2337

Pulliam Records Saluki Season-high Junior outside hitter Jene' Pulliam posted a team season-high 16 kills in a 3-2 loss to UMKC Friday in the 26th Saluki Invitational. The junior added five kills and a block assist, while hitting .317 in the match. Saturday she recorded four kills, four digs and a block assist in a Saluki loss, 3-0, to Arkansas State. She was second on the team over the weekend, posting 20 kills for the tournament, averaging 2.50 per game. Pulliam is currently second on the team this season, averaging 2.76 kills per game. She is hitting .240 with 1.24 digs per game.

Yutzy Ranked Fifth in the Valley After two weeks of play, middle blocker Johannah Yutzy is hitting .345 (45 kills, 15 errors, 87 attacks) on the season. She ranks fifth in the MVC and second on the team. Yutzy hit a career-high .643 (10 kills, 1 error, 14 attacks) in a win against Liberty at the San Diego State Invite Sept. 3.

DeWulf Named to San Diego State Invite All-Tournament Team Sophomore Katy DeWulf, moved from middle blocker to outside hitter this fall. The transition has been graceful for the 6-1 sophomore, who battled injury as a freshman. DeWulf is leading the team with 51 kills, averaging 3.00 kills per game. She was named to the San Diego State Invitational All-Tournament Team Sept. 2-3. She led the team in kills two of the three games. DeWulf is currently fifth on the team, hitting .205, adding six digs and 11 blocks in five matches.

Quick Elswick Freshman libero Kristy Elswick, the first scholarship libero at SIU, has already made a direct impact on the Saluki defense with her adaptability and quickness. She has started all five Saluki matches this season, playing all 17 games at libero and leading the team in digs in all five matches. At the Saluki Invitational over the weekend, Elswick posted two 19-dig matches against UMKC and Arkansas State. Elswick also leads the team in ace serves with seven, averaging 0.41 per game. She posted two against the Kangaroos and one against Arkansas State over the weekend.

Marita and Saverine Seeing Double Junior outside hitter Ashley Saverine currently leads the team with nine career double-doubles (kills, digs), recording her last double-double in 2004 against UMKC (16 kills, 11 digs). Marita leads the team with 21 double-doubles (assists, digs). Marita picked up a triple double in 2003 against Iowa (10 kills, 51 assists, 12 digs).

Marita (21) Last vs. Ind. State (38 A, 20 D)
Saverine (9) Last vs. UMKC (16 K, 11 D)
Pulliam (8) Last at Evansville (18K, 10 D)
Washington (5) Last at Bradley (10 K, 12 D)
Haley Hann (2) Last at SEMO (14 K, 15 D)
M. Laird (2) Last vs. Georgetown (22 A 12 D)
J. Hinsenkamp (1) Last vs. Long Island (10 K 10 D)