Anderson, Sobieralski voted as OVC Players of the Week

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) and junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) were given Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week honors for the first time in University of Southern Indiana Volleyball history. Anderson secured OVC Offensive Player of the Week while Sobieralski was voted as OVC Setter of the Week after the Screaming Eagles’ top-tier performance last weekend.
 
USI went 2-1 on the week after sweeping Tennessee State University over the weekend. The Eagles racked up 138 kills with a whopping 0.216 hitting percentage to pair with 33 aces, 28 blocks, and 161 digs. After the week, USI is fourth in the OVC standings and holds a 4-2 conference record.
 
Anderson, who was voted unanimously, receives OVC Offensive Player of the Week status for the first time in program history. The outside hitter nabbed an OVC-leading 49 kills and 11 aces to go with a stellar 0.264 attacking percentage. She also put up nine blocks and a conference-high 65 points in 12 sets played. This is not the first weekly award Anderson has received as she was named the GLVC Offensive Player of the Week twice as well as the AVCA Division II Player of the Week between 2020 and 2021.
 
Sobieralski has dominated the passing game this season, especially last week after capturing an OVC-best 113 assists with 9.42 assists per set, leading to OVC Setter of the Week accolades. She combined 23 digs and a pair of blocks in 12 sets played to pair with her offensive abilities for the week. This is Sobieralski’s first career weekly honor and the first for a USI setter since October 2021.

Also voted for weekly awards this week were Southeast Missouri State University’s Tara Beilsmith and Lucy Arndt for Defensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week, respectively.
 
The Eagles, who are 8-9 overall, are back in action this weekend to face Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at Screaming Eagles Arena on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Dig Pink Night will highlight Friday’s match while Saturday’s match will be Mental Health Awareness Day. Sobieralski will also be acknowledged prior to Saturday’s match for earning 1,000 career assists.