With seven games of Atlantic 10 gameplay under their belt, the Saint Louis University Volleyball team has yet to pick up a win within the conference. After finishing 6-12 in regular-season conference play last year, the A-10 Conference preseason poll projected that the Billikens would finish this season in sixth place. The Billikens currently sit in ninth place with a record of 0-7 in the A-10 and 8-10 overall, only ahead of University of Rhode Island, who is also 0-7 in A-10 matchups and 3-16 overall, as of Oct. 14, 2025.
The Billikens began their season with tournament play, first travelling to Indiana for the Evansville Tournament, and then returning to their home court at Chaifetz Pavilion to host the Billiken Invitational. Throughout the weekend of Sept. 5 and 6, the women claimed victories in all three matches they played. The team overcame Austin Peay, Murray State and Western Illinois to walk away undefeated from their home tournament.
Senior outside hitter Irmak Gökçen recorded a total of 26 kills over the course of the weekend to lead the Billikens in their winning efforts. She reflects on the Billiken Invitational as a high point for the team so far this season.
“One of my favorite moments this season was our last home tournament: we won all three matches. It really showed how much heart this team has and how hard we fight together,” Gökçen said.
With tournament play wrapping up in late September, the Billikens then entered the conference-play portion of the season. To date, SLU has traveled to George Mason and Dayton for away matches while hosting Virginia Commonwealth University and Loyola Chicago.
Most recently, the SLU women made the trip to Dayton, Ohio to compete against the Flyers on Oct. 10 and 11. Dayton is currently 7-0 in conference play and 12-6 overall, earning them the number one ranking in the A-10.
The Flyers proved to be a tough opponent for the Billikens, shown by a final score of 3-0 in favor of Dayton on Friday evening. The final scores of the three sets were 25-10, 25-18 and 25-15, with SLU recording 28 kills compared to Dayton’s 37 kills across the entire night.
Leaders in kills for SLU were freshman outside hitter Tamia Maddox with seven and sophomore outside hitter Tea Kalajdzic with six. The Billikens’ serve reception also struggled against the Flyer’s servers, with Dayton collecting 11 aces throughout the match compared to SLU’s one ace.
The following day, the Billikens rallied to keep the score closer for the duration of the match compared to the previous night, but ultimately fell to the Flyers with a final score of 3-0. SLU picked up 35 kills for the night, led by Gökçen with 10 and Maddox with seven, ending the three sets with scores of 25-17, 25-22 and 25-16.
Unfortunately, the Billikens have yet to come out on top versus an A-10 opponent. Even through the consecutive tough losses, Gökçen maintains a positive attitude for the remainder of the season.
“Conference play has been a big learning experience for us. We’ve been watching a lot of film and making adjustments based on who we’re playing. The start of conference [play] hasn’t been exactly what we wanted, but every match teaches us something,” Gökçen said. “Right now, our mindset is all about growing, staying positive, and fighting for each other.”
Next up, the Billikens are set to face University of Rhode Island in two matches at Chaifetz Pavilion on Friday, Oct. 17 and Saturday, Oct. 18, where they will continue their pursuit toward a conference win.