DePaul University
18-14,9-9Big East
Southern Illinois
20-12,11-7MVC
DePaul Takes Down Southern Illinois for First-Ever Postseason Match Win
11/29/2023 6:28:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Blue Demons take win behind Pressly and Klemp’s combined 34 kills
DES MOINES, Iowa - DePaul volleyball defeated Southern Illinois, 3-1 (27-25, 25-21, 27-29, 26-24), Wednesday afternoon. The win marks the first-ever postseason match win in program history.Â
DePaul (18-14) was led by Jill Pressly as she tallied 18 kills, 11 digs and four blocks. Pressly posted her 17th double-double of the season and 39th of her career.Â
Graduate student Audrey Klemp added 16 kills on a .364 clip. Sophomore Katelynn Oxley poured in nine kills, setting a new career-high, to go along with four blocks.Â
Freshman Meghan Scholz chipped in seven kills, while Grace Brooker added four kills in her first match since September 9.
Ashley Cudiamat led the Blue Demons in assists, recording 30 and adding seven digs and one kill. Rachel Krasowski totaled 15 digs and five service aces.Â
"Feels good to get a gritty win in a postseason tournament," said head coach Marie Zidek. "We had to weather a hot offense. An important step for this team to understand it is now or we go home. Sense of urgency goes way up, and it forces you to elevate. It was nice to get our middles involved at the right time and to continue to lean into our serve and pass game."Â
Southern Illinois (20-12) was led by Nataly Garcia with 19 kills and 16 digs.Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE: Much back-and-forth between the teams, but Southern Illinois pulled off a 3-0 run to take a three-point lead. DePaul responded with a three-point surge of their own to tie the match, 10-10. Trading points, Oxley's third kill of the set tied the match again, 19-19. The Salukis took a 23-20 lead, but errors from Southern Illinois and a block from Pressly and Scholz put the Blue Demons at set point, 24-23. Two straight kills from Klemp took the set win for DePaul.
SET TWO: DePaul began the match on a 7-1 run, thanks to three straight aces from Krasowski. Two kills from Brooker and a block from Brooker and Oxley put DePaul up by five, 16-11. Klemp rattled off her sixth kill of the afternoon to keep the Blue Demons lead at five. Oxley extended the lead, 24-20, and a Pressly kill won the set.
SET THREE: Southern Illinois took an early 4-1 lead, but a kill from Pressly and a Salukis error cut the lead to one. A 4-0 surge from the Salukis gave them a four-point lead, but a block from Scholz and Jones put the Blue Demons down by one. Southern Illinois extended their lead, 20-17, but an Oxley kill put DePaul within one. Two quick points for the Blue Demons off of a block from Pressly and Oxley and a Southern Illinois error caused a Salukis timeout. DePaul rattled off two more points, thanks to a block from Pressly and Scholz and a Salukis error, to tie the match at 22 all. Klemp's ninth kill put the Blue Demons at match point, but the Salukis fought back to take the set win.
SET FOUR: Southern Illinois grabbed an early 4-2 lead, but a quick three point surge for DePaul put the team within one. A kill from Cudiamat kept the Blue Demons within one, 13-12, and a kill from Karl tied the match, 19-19. A Scholz termination cut the Salukis lead to one, and Pressly hammered one home to tie the match at 21. A block from Karl and Oxley put DePaul at match point and a Southern Illinois error led the way for the Blue Demons to take the win.
UP NEXT
DePaul will take on the winner of the Chicago State-Drake matchup. The second round match is set for Thursday, Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. CT.
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