EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Volleyball returns to action Friday and Saturday when it competes at the Augustana Invitational in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The Screaming Eagles (4-0) look to carry their momentum from a strong opening weekend into this week’s action as they take on No. 13 Winona State University Friday at 12:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m.; No. 22 Augustana University Friday at 7 p.m.; and Chadron State College Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
This weekend’s matches will be held at the Sanford Pentagon, site of the 2016 NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships as well as the 2017 NCAA II Men’s Basketball Elite Eight. Live stats and video for all four matches can be accessed at GoUSIEagles.com.
USI Volleyball Notes (September 6, 2016)
Flagler Invitational champs:Â By virtue of their 4-0 record, the Eagles captured the Flagler Invitational championship this past weekend. Included in their four wins were victories over host Flagler College, the 2015 Peach Belt Conference champions, and Valdosta State University, a 23-win team from 2015 that was picked to finish third in the Gulf South Conference this year.
Comeback kids:Â USI Volleyball rallied from match deficits in three of the four matches it played at the Flagler Invitational. The Eagles found themselves in two-set deficits against Flagler and Valdosta State before rallying for five-set triumphs in both matches. USI trailed Brevard, 1-0, in its fourth match of the weekend before rallying for a four-set victory.
Statistical Leaders: Freshman outside hitter Mikaila Humphrey (Floyd Knobs, Indiana) and junior outside hitter Shelbi Morris (Brazil, Indiana) paced the Eagles’ attack last week with 3.31 and 2.94 kills per set, respectively. Junior middle hitter Te’Ayla Whitfield (Fort Wayne, Indiana) averaged a team-best 1.29 blocks and 0.53 aces per frame, while senior setter Quin Shoultz (Columbus, Indiana) and junior libero Shannon Farrell (Munster, Indiana) led the Eagles with 9.24 assists and 3.82 digs per game, respectively.
No Bones about it: Whitfield, nicknamed Bones by her teammates, displayed an all-around game for the Eagles last week. She had at least five kills in each of USI’s matches, while twice racking up four aces. She had at least six blocks in USI’s last three outings, including seven in both of USI’s wins on Saturday.
Nice debut: Humphrey made her collegiate debut in USI’s come-from-behind win over Flagler last Friday. She racked up 11 of her 12 kills in the final three frames as USI rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat the Saints. Humphrey had 12 of her 16 kills in the final three sets as the Eagles rallied from a two-game deficit to defeat Valdosta State on Saturday.
Neutral site success:Â The Eagles have played well in neutral-site contests dating back to the 2014 season. Including this year, USI is 12-2 in its last 14 neutral-site matches.
Scouting the opposition: USI has a tough task this weekend as three of the four matches it plays features opponents ranked in this week’s AVCA Top 25. Winona State, which USI plays twice, enters the week ranked No. 13 after posting a 5-0 record last week, while Augustana is ranked No. 22 after posting a 4-0 mark last week. Chadron State went 1-3 in its opening weekend of competition.
