University of Southern Indiana Volleyball continues its four-match homestand this weekend as it hosts No. 3 Lewis University Friday at 7 p.m. and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Saturday at 3 p.m. in a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division bouts at the Physical Activities Center.
The first 100 USI students in attendance of Friday night’s match will receive a free combo meal, compliments of Archie’s Army, while USI students can enter their names into an end-of-the-year drawing for a $500 Campus Store giveaway at every home match this season.
USI begins the week with a 3-7 overall record and a 1-1 mark in GLVC play. Live stats and GLVC Sports Network coverage also can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
USI Volleyball Notes
Eagles split opening GLVC weekend. The Screaming Eagles posted a 1-1 record during their opening week of GLVC play. USI saw a two-set lead fall by the wayside in its five-set road loss to Maryville University Thursday night before coming back to the PAC to earn a three-set sweep of Missouri S&T.
Cepicky, Coleman lift USI past S&T. Freshman setter Casey Cepicky (St. Louis, Missouri) and sophomore middle hitter Elexis Coleman (Joliet, Illinois) were dynamic in the Eagles’ win over Missouri S&T. Coleman racked up a career-high 13 kills to go along with a .600 attacking percentage and four blocks, while Cepicky tallied 35 assists and 15 digs.
Win slips away from Eagles. In USI’s five-set loss to Maryville, the Eagles had a two-set lead and actually served for match-point after gaining a 25-24 lead in the third set. The Saints, however, scored three straight points to steal the frame before earning wins in the fourth and fifth sets to upend USI. Sophomore outside hitter Mikaila Humphrey (Floyd Knobs, Indiana) had 19 kills to pace the Eagles attack.
GLVC statistical watch. Senior middle hitter Te’Ayla Whitfield (Fort Wayne, Indiana) ranks fifth in the GLVC with a team-high 1.17 blocks per set, while Humphrey is seventh in the conference with 3.36 kills per frame. Cepicky is 10th in the conference with 7.04 assists per set, while junior setter Erika Peoples (Bloomington, Illinois) is ninth with 8.15 assists per stanza.
Farrell moves into second on USI digs list, passes 1,500-plateau. Senior libero Shannon Farrell (Munster, Indiana) moved past former USI standout Amanda Probst for second on USI’s all-time digs list with her 14th dig in USI’s loss to Maryville. Farrell, who has 1,519 career digs, became the second player in program history to reach the 1,500-dig plateau with her second dig in USI’s win over Missouri S&T. Kayla Heldman is USI’s all-time leader with 1,848 career digs.
Scouting the opposition. Lewis, the No. 3 team in the nation, begins this week’s competition having won 10 of its first 11 matches, including its first two GLVC contests of the year; while UW-Parkside begins the week with a 3-7 overall record and a 1-1 mark in GLVC play.
