INDIANAPOLIS – The final match of the 2015 Butler Invitational was a marathon with the Bulldogs hosting the visiting Southern Illinois Salukis. In the end, SIU held off the 'Dawgs to earn a 3-2 victory (25-18, 22-25, 25-22, 20-25, 16-14.

The fifth set made the difference between the two talented teams as SIU fought off a 6-2 deficit early in the action to knot the score at 11-11. In the end the duo of Andrea Estrada and Abby Barrow were just too much for Butler to overcome as the two outside hitters would lead their team to victory.

Estrada came up with a match-high 24 kills off 56 swings. She was one of two Salukis to record a double-double, joining Hannah Kamisnksy who recorded 32 assists and a team-high 19 digs. Abby Barrow did her part with 18 kills and the Salukis got an outstanding all-around effort out of Meg Viggars who posted a triple-double on Saturday with 16 kills, 36 assists and 11 digs.

Butler's top individual effort went to Anna Logan who posted a team-high 21 kills to go with 11 digs and two blocks. Makayla Ferguson also reached a double-double with 55 assists and 12 digs while Aki Aitsebaomo led all players with a match-high 21 digs.

The Salukis took control of set one with a 3-0 scoring run that gave them a 10-6 advantage. Moments later a 4-0 run SIU would give the Salukis a six-point cushion at 19-13. Butler's first timeout came in the midst of the second scoring run and their second would halt the action at 21-14. Butler got a kill from Mary Striedl out of the break, but Abby Barrow would deliver three kills down the stretch to give SIU the 1-0 lead.

Set two was all Butler early as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 9-3 lead. That advantage would shrink to three points at 11-8, but a second scoring run would give Butler room at 18-10. The Salukis never quit and eventually would climb back into the mix at 22-20 after a kill from Barrow, but the effort wouldn't be enough as Butler evened the match at 1-1 with a final kill from Makayla Ferguson.

Set three was wild from start to finish as a lengthy rotation debate would stall the teams progress during the middle of the set. The Salukis would hold onto their slim lead to squeak out the pivotal 25-22 win, but four sets wouldn't be enough as Butler would once again even the playing field with a 25-20 win in the fourth.

Jessica Klingensmith came alive in the fourth set to lead Butler with five kills. The outside hitter entered the game and sent five spikes to the court without making a single error to post a .500 attack percentage.

Butler used that momentum to take the early lead in the fifth set, but the strong play from Barrow, Viggars and Estrada would be too much to overcome. The win pushed SIU into second place of the invitational with Butler moving to third. Missouri's perfect 3-0 record allowed them to win the tournament crown while Youngstown State took fourth place with their 0-3 record.

All-Tournament Team
Carly Kan, Missouri – MVP
Kira Larson, Missouri
Alexa Ethridge, Missouri
Abby Barrow, SIU
Meg Viggars, SIU
Mary Striedl, Butler
Val Jeffery, Youngstown State