Sept. 17, 2002

Final Stats

Cape Girardeau, Mo. - The Saint Louis University volleyball team posted a thrilling 3-2 victory at Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday evening. Individual game scores were 30-25, 31-33, 30-19, 32-34, 15-11. The match marked the third consecutive time the squads have gone the distance.

The Billikens used their offensive firepower to hit .378 in game one. SEMO had three more kills than SLU, but the Otakians committed nine more effors. The game was close throughout, but the Bills put on a late spurt for a 1-0 lead.

The Billikens had a golden opportunity to take a 2-0 lead, but Southeast Missouri kept SLu at bay and tied the match. The teams posted nearly identical numbers as SEMO had 19 kills on 41 attempts while the Bills had 18 kills on 42 attempts.

The Billikens kept the pressure on and retook the lead in game three. SLU hit .333 and kept the Otahks' offense in check. SEMO managed just a .093 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, the Billikens notched a match-high 19 kills in the game and cruised to the easy 11-point win.

Game four was an instant replay of game two. Neither team could carve out a big advantage and Southeast Missouri came from behind to force a game five. The Bills pounded down 18 kills, but SEMO topped that with 23 kills.

Southeast led in the early part of game five, but the Billikens rallied to win the game and match. Once again, SEMO actually had more kills than the Bills, but hurt themselves with eight hitting errors.

Colleen Hunter led the Billikens with 25 kills, the 11th-straight time she has led the team, and completed a double-double with 11 digs. She added five blocks and three service aces. Ember Knobeloch was splendid with a career-high 23 kills and hit .444 during the match. Beth Middendorf dished out 50 assists and added 11 digs, while Brooke Minniear had a team-high 16 digs. For SEMO, Bobbi Carlile notched 25 kills and added 10 digs, while Susanne Gundlach dug a match-high 27 balls. Southeast Missouri had three more kills than SLU, 80-77, but the Billikens hit .333 while SEMO was at .187. The Billiken blocking was decisive as SLU had 11.0 team blocks to 5.0 for Southeast Missouri.

The Billikens improve to 7-4 on the season, while the Otahkians dip to 5-7. Saint Louis is next in action at SMS' tournament this weekend when they open the tourney against UMKC at 4 p.m. on Fri., Sept. 20.