SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—Sophomore outside hitter Shelbi Morris (Brazil, Indiana) and senior right side hitter Erica Oberbroeckling (Westfield, Indiana) combined for 25 kills and a .333 attacking percentage as the University of Southern Indiana volleyball team ended a two-match skid with a 25-22, 25-18, 25-13 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over the University of Illinois Springfield Saturday afternoon.
USI (11-4, 4-2 GLVC) rallied from an early 6-2 deficit to win the opening set; then used a .294 attacking percentage to post a convincing seven-point win in the second frame. The Screaming Eagles used a 9-1 run midway through the third set to run away with a 12-point win. USI hit .323 in the third frame to complete the sweep.
For the match, the Eagles posted a .261 attacking percentage while holding the host Prairie Starts to a .118 clip.
Morris led the Eagles with 13 kills, while Oberbroeckling added 12 kills, a .391 attacking percentage, and 10 digs.
The Eagles also used a strong serving performance that featured nine aces. Senior middle blocker Abbey Winter (Germantown, Illinois) had three aces while senior defensive specialist Erin Goldschmidt (Smithton, Illinois) and freshman setter Erika Peoples (Bloomington, Illinois) each had two aces.
Winter added six kills, a .308 attacking percentage, and two blocks, while junior setter Quin Shoultz (Columbus, Indiana) had a match-high 22 assists.
The Eagles return to action Tuesday 6 p.m. (CDT) when they travel to Louisville, Kentucky, to take on GLVC East Division rival Bellarmine University. The Knights (6-10, 1-5 GLVC) fell to McKendree University in four sets Saturday in Lebanon, Illinois.
