University of Southern Indiana Volleyball hosts the University of Evansville Tuesday at 7 p.m. in an exhibition match at Screaming Eagles Arena.
Tuesday’s match will be the first time since 2019-20 that spectators will be welcomed back into Screaming Eagles Arena for a live sporting event after USI basketball and volleyball games were closed to spectators due to COVID-19 restrictions a year ago. Admission will be free of charge for Tuesday’s match.
The Screaming Eagles are looking to build on a historic season that saw them go 17-4 and capture their first Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament title since 2004. USI, which brings back nine players including its entire starting lineup from last year, earned its first-ever national ranking last spring, ranking as high as No. 12 during the regular season before finishing the year ranked No. 15 in the final AVCA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll.
USI’s list of returners includes four All-GLVC honorees from the 2020-21 campaign. Sophomore outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) was a first-team honoree a year ago, while senior setter Casey Cepicky (St. Louis, Missouri), junior middle hitter Taylor Litteken (Foristell, Missouri) and sophomore right side hitter Katherine Koch (Belleville, Illinois) were named second-team All-GLVC.
Anderson averaged 3.36 kills, 2.61 digs, 4.23 points and a GLVC-best 0.59 aces per set a year ago. Her 44 total aces led all of Division II in 2020-21.
Cepicky enters her final year at USI ranked No. 4 all-time with 2,974 career assists after finishing 2020-21 with 9.36 assists and 2.86 digs per set. She also is just 95 digs away from becoming the 12th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-dig plateau and is 95 digs and 26 assists away from becoming the first player in program history with 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs.
Koch chipped in 2.80 kills and 2.51 digs per set a year ago, while Litteken amassed 2.00 kills, 0.82 blocks and a team-best .325 attacking percentage in 2020-21. Litteken’s attacking percentage ranked second in the GLVC and 41st, nationally.
UE finished the 2020-21 season with a 6-14 overall record, including a 5-13 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Purple Aces are led by pre-season first-team All-MVC honoree Alondra Vazquez, who put together a historic 32-kill, 32-dig performance against Drake last spring.
The Eagles begin the 2021 regular season September 3-4 when they compete in the University of West Florida Springhill Suites Invitational in Pensacola, Florida.
