Strong Defense Lifts Eagles To First Road Win

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A big defensive effort from University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (7-9, 3-2 OVC) leads to a 3-1 (25-18-25-23, 25-15, 25-18) road victory over Tennessee State University at Kean Hall on Friday night. The Screaming Eagles posted a whopping 65 digs and 11 blocks in their first road win in the NCAA Division I era.
 
A 6-0 run caps off USI’s 25-18 opening-set victory over the Lady Tigers. The Eagles opened the frame with a kill from senior outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) before TSU took an early 6-3 lead. Sophomore middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) stopped the Tigers’ surge with a kill then senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) and junior outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) joined in on the fun with a kill and an ace, respectively, to knot it up at 7-7. Back-and-forth play went on until USI hit the 20-point threshold, leaving TSU in the dust and ending the set with six straight points. Junior middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) kicked off the stint with a kill followed by two aces and four assists from junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana). The Eagles played an all-around fantastic game, earning 11 kills, five aces, and four blocks.
 
Too many attacking errors cost USI the second set, 25-23. The Eagles jumped out to an early 3-1 advantage after back-to-back aces from Anderson and then kept a two-point lead off three errors from the Tigers and pushed the score to 7-5. However, TSU later took the lead after repeating attacking errors from USI. The Eagles were able to retake the lead at 19-18 before a 3-0 run catapulted the Tigers into the lead once again. Kills from Weber and Bednar kept it within two, but TSU held on to knot the match at 1-1. USI had the 12-10 kill advantage, but it was the 10 errors that hurt the Eagles.
 
USI’s defense forced nine TSU errors to take the third game, 25-15. Down 8-6, the Eagles stormed back with a 9-0 surge that kicked off with an ace from sophomore libero/defensive specialist Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) and progressed with kills from Bednar, Downing, and Anderson. USI expanded the lead and ultimately held a large eight-point advantage. TSU attempted a comeback by cutting the deficit to five, but the Eagles scored six of the final seven points of the frame to win the set and take a 2-1 match lead. Even posting a match-low eight kills, USI forced nine errors and allowed just eight kills to force TSU’s lowest attacking percentage of the match, negative 0.032.
 
Resilience was key in the fourth set for the Eagles which resulted in the victory, 25-18. The Tigers started hot to open the frame until a quick 3-0 stint led by a pair of Anderson kills propelled USI to an 11-9 gain. TSU knotted it back up at 11 until the Eagles jumped back with another three-straight points off three offensive miscues from the Tigers. With TSU not backing down and cutting the deficit to just one, USI nabbed a six-point lead after going on a 6-1 run that became the deciding factor. A pair of Downing kills and a kill from Bednar and Sobieralski highlighted the Eagles’ stint. The match ended with repeating kills from Anderson to give USI its third conference win of the season. The Eagles posted a match-high 14 kills with just six errors in the set.
 
Anderson and Bednar once again led the team in kills with 13 apiece while Downing put up a season-high 10 kills. Sobieralski earned her fifth 40+ assist match of her career after earning 42 of the team’s 45 assists. Weber and Anderson each tacked on three aces while Sobieralski nabbed a pair. Moore earned 20 digs to become the third Eagle to clinch that mark this season. Also in double-digit digs were Weber with 16 and Bednar with 11. Downing led the charge at the net, totaling five blocks while junior middle blocker Lauren O’Neill (Covington, Indiana) secured three blocks in two sets played.
 
As a team, the Eagles had 45 kills, 45 assists, and 10 aces with 65 digs and 11 blocks. This is just the second time this season USI has earned the same number of kills and assists in a single match. The Tigers ended the night with 39 kills, 36 assists, and two aces to pair with 55 digs and 10 blocks.
 
NEXT UP FOR THE EAGLES:
The Eagles end the road trip tomorrow afternoon against the Tigers at 2 p.m. The match will be live-streamed on ESPN+.