SIUE travels to the Hoosier state in hopes of ending losing streak

Rick Crossin
Sports Editor

The SIUE volleyball team will try to end a four-game losing streak on the road this weekend.

The four losses in a row mark the longest losing streak since 1997 for the team and head coach Joe Fisher is hoping a change of scenery will help jump-start his team.

"No matter whether you've been on the road for a while and come home or if you've been home for a while and go on the road, it is a welcome change both ways," Fisher said.

The Lady Cougars (7-11) will face two teams heading in opposite directions on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday evening, SIUE will face Indiana University Purdue University-Fort Wayne. The Ladydons are 14-6 so far this season and have won 11 out of their last 12 matches.

IUPU-Fort Wayne, along with Northern Kentucky University, are on top the Blue Division of the Great Lakes Valley Conference with a 6-1 record.

The only conference loss for the Ladydons came at the hands of Northern Kentucky, ranked 14th in the nation, on Sept. 22.

IUPU-Fort Wayne ranks third or better in the conference hitting percentage, kills and assists, which should make Friday's match a tough one for the Lady Cougars.

One thing SIUE can look forward to is that this weekend may be the last time IUPU-Fort Wayne and SIUE meet this season.

The Ladydons are now a Division I school and it has yet to be decided if IUPU-Fort Wayne will be eligible for postseason play.

"Right now they are not (eligible), but I know they've appealed," Fisher said. "The conference as a whole will have a better idea after Monday when the presidents meet to decide."

After the match Friday, SIUE will travel to Rensselaer, Ind., to play St. Joseph's College.

St. Joseph's is 8-10 so far this season and is just 1-6 in conference play.

"They are going through some changes there with a new coach and from I've been able to find out they've had some key injuries over the last two weeks," Fisher said.

Even though St. Joseph's is at the bottom of the conference, Fisher is making sure his team doesn't get overconfident.

"As up and down as we've been playing, we can't overlook anybody," Fisher said. "If we play down when we get there, it could be another four- or five-game match."

Fisher has tinkered with his lineup in the past two weeks, trying to find the lineup that will work the best..

"We try to get the matchups that are going to be the most successful," Fisher said, "whether it means somebody that has been starting comes in off the bench or starting in different positions or next to different people on the court."

One bright spot for SIUE this season is the play of freshman Andrea Voss. Voss has been a force in the middle for SIUE, racking up a conference-leading 41 blocks this season.

Voss' counterpart, Stoshia DeShasier, is also quietly putting together a solid season for SIUE.

DeShasier, a junior transfer from the University of Southern Indiana, hasn't played organized volleyball since high school and has fit into the Lady Cougar mold easily since her arrival.