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by T.J Cowell Alestle Sports Reporter The losses continue to pile up for the Cougar volleyball team. SIUE lacked intensity coming out of the gates, and it cost them, with Southeast Missouri State University spoiling the final home contest of the year for the Cougars, defeating them in four sets, 25-18, 25-14, 22-25 and 25-20. The loss dropped SIUE to 1-24 on the year. SIUE volleyball Head Coach Todd Gober said he continues to be impressed with his team's work ethic and ability not to give up on matches. "It has been a season of change," Gober said. "I am proud of how we continue to work hard." SIUE came out flat early on, being held to .116 and .029 hitting percentages in sets one and two respectively. The Cougars then bounced back and claimed set three, refusing to give up on senior night. Tuesday marked the second time SIUE fell to SEMO this season. The Cougars dropped a three set decision to their conference foes earlier in the year in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Gober said he saw improve

'Season of change' remains hard on volleyball

By: T.J. Cowell

Posted: 11/5/09

The losses continue to pile up for the Cougar volleyball team.

SIUE lacked intensity coming out of the gates, and it cost them, with Southeast Missouri State University spoiling the final home contest of the year for the Cougars, defeating them in four sets, 25-18, 25-14, 22-25 and 25-20. The loss dropped SIUE to 1-24 on the year.

SIUE volleyball Head Coach Todd Gober said he continues to be impressed with his team's work ethic and ability not to give up on matches.

"It has been a season of change," Gober said. "I am proud of how we continue to work hard."

SIUE came out flat early on, being held to .116 and .029 hitting percentages in sets one and two respectively. The Cougars then bounced back and claimed set three, refusing to give up on senior night.

Tuesday marked the second time SIUE fell to SEMO this season. The Cougars dropped a three set decision to their conference foes earlier in the year in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Gober said he saw improvements in his team's performance on Tuesday compared to the first time the two teams faced off earlier in the year.

Gober said his team ran a 6-2 offensive style of play against SEMO earlier in the year. The Cougars have now switched to a 5-1 offense, which aims to keep a certain level of ball control. Another change in Tuesday's game was freshman Sammi Minton playing her second game ever at libero. With senior libero Tiffany Turner out with a knee injury, Minton stepped up with a team-high 20 digs on Tuesday.

"It has been challenging, but I am willing to do whatever is best for the team," Minton said. "I think we battled, but we made some mistakes that we should not have made."

Gober said Minton, along with junior outside hitter Sydney Winslow and sophomore middle hitter Jessica Hemann, played a strong game. Hemann and Winslow had 13 and 11 kills respectively for the Cougars.

The visitors controlled the battle at the net with eight blocks compared to SIUE's four. SEMO also out-hit the Cougars with a team hitting percentage of .261. The Cougars hit .169 as a team.

"We have the confidence, but things just did not click tonight," Winslow said. "Some nights you have games where everything flows together. Tonight was not that night."

Despite dropping their 10th consecutive match, Winslow said the Cougars are buying into the system and have maintained a positive outlook throughout the season.

"We have come to realize that we all need to do our own jobs out there," Winslow said. "What other team would be 1-24 and still keep their heads up?"

Tuesday night also marked senior night for Turner and outside hitter Brittni Birkey. Turner continued her battle with injuries, but continues to be a vocal and emotional leader for the Cougar squad. Birkey finished the night with five kills and two blocks.

Gober said the Cougars still need to work on finishing matches, but opportunities to do so are becoming sparse as the season winds down.

"We know we are playing well when I do not have to motivate in the huddle," Gober said. "We do better when we are able to strategize during timeouts."

The Cougars will have to adjust to life on the road with the final stretch of their season capped off with four road games. SIUE will next play the University of Tennessee-Martin of the Ohio Valley Conference at 7 p.m. Friday in Martin, Tenn.