EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Volleyball held the University of Indianapolis to just five kills in the third set as it put an exclamation mark on a 25-18, 25-22, 25-13 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over the visiting Greyhounds Tuesday night at Screaming Eagles Arena.
Freshman outside hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) slammed down 13 kills, while junior middle hitter Taylor Litteken (Foristell, Missouri) added six kills and six blocks as USI earned the regular-season sweep of UIndy for the second consecutive season.
USI (15-10, 9-5 GLVC) used an 8-0 run in the opening set to turn a 9-9 tie into a commanding 17-10 advantage. USI hit .317 in the first frame while holding the Hounds to a .077 attacking percentage to pickup the seven-point win and one-set lead.
Sophomore outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) racked up five of her eight kills in the opening frame to help USI establish the early advantage.
UIndy (12-14, 8-6 GLVC) bounced back from a five-point second-set deficit to forge a late 21-21 tie, but the Screaming Eagles strung together three consecutive points en route to a three-point victory. Litteken racked up three kills and had three blocks in the set as USI increased its lead to two sets.
Bednar had six kills and a .455 attacking clip in a dominating third set. The Eagles, who hit .286 in the final frame, used a 10-1 run to turn a slim 7-6 lead into a commanding double-digit advantage en route to the 12-point, match-clinching victory.
In addition to Bednar, who had eight digs, two aces and a pair of blocks, the Eagles got 32 assists, four kills, 10 digs and two blocks from senior setter Casey Cepicky (St. Louis, Missouri). Cepicky was one of six different players to record at least four kills on the night and one of four players to reach double-figures in digs.
Freshman outside hitter Taya Dazey (Fort Wayne, Indiana) added five kills and 15 digs, while senior libero Callie Gubera (Thorntown, Indiana) added 13 digs. Anderson also had 11 digs to go with her eight kills and three aces.
Senior middle blocker Sidney Hegg (Menasha, Wisconsin) rounded out the Eagles’ top performers with five kills, a .364 attacking percentage and five blocks.
The Eagles return to action Friday at 7 p.m. when they visit Quincy University in a key GLVC match. USI also visits Lindenwood University Saturday at 3 p.m. before finishing the regular season next week with matches against the University of Illinois Springfield (November 9) and No. 20 Lewis University (November 13) at Screaming Eagles Arena.
