EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (9-12, 5-5 OVC) looks to snap its three-match winless streak this weekend when the Screaming Eagles travel to Macomb, Illinois to face Ohio Valley Conference newcomer, Western Illinois University (6-13, 5-3 OVC), at Western Hall with matches slated for Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. After the weekend matchup, USI will have to wait an extra week before their next match due to the bye week.
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Game Coverage
Information about USI Volleyball, including live stats, video, and audio broadcasts, is available on USIScreamingEagles.com.Â
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Tickets
Admission to the USI Volleyball matches this weekend is free.
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Screaming Eagles Headlines:
Eagles Falter On The Road. The Screaming Eagles dropped two matches against Morehead State last weekend, moving their winless streak to three games. On the bright side, after USI went on their last three-match skid, they won five of their next six matches.
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You Have To #OVCit. USI continues the road swing with a bout against newly-added OVC opponent, Western Illinois. The Leathernecks, formerly a Summit League school, are currently fourth in the OVC standings and will face the Eagles for the first time in program history.
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Anderson On The Rise. Senior Leah Anderson is the fourth Screaming Eagle to rank in the top five in three categories in USI Volleyball history. She currently ranks second in aces and kills while being fifth in digs all-time at USI. Anderson joins an elite group that includes Leeanne Gross, Sheri Kaiser, and Shannon Wells.
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Best of the Best. Senior Leah Anderson has earned a conference-leading 283 kills and 343.5 points with the second-most aces (34). Junior Carly Sobieralski leads the OVC with 718 assists and has nabbed seven 40+ assist matches with one 50-assist performance. Junior Paris Downing has excelled at the net, securing a league-leading 87 blocks.
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Nationally Acclaimed. Due to USI being in the DI reclassification period, the Eagles are not ranked in the NCAA statistical rankings. However, USI would rank 12th in total attacks (2,860) and 45th in aces (134). Senior Leah Anderson would stand 20th in total points (343.5), 30th in total aces (34), 32nd in total kills (283), and 33rd in total attacks (846) while junior Carly Sobieralski ranks 33rd in total assists (718) and junior Paris Downing is 42nd in total blocks (87). (as of 10/17)
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OVC Leaderboard. USI ranks third in service aces per set (1.68) and blocks per set (2.15) while being fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.189) and opponent aces per set (1.40). The Eagles are sixth in the OVC standings going into the week.
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OVC Leaders. Senior Leah Anderson has her name in three categories, nabbing second in points per set (4.29), third in kills per set (3.54), and fourth in aces per set (0.43). Senior Abby Bednar sits fourth in points per set (3.91), sixth in aces per set (0.39), and seventh in kills per set (3.14). Junior Carly Sobieralski ranks fourth in assists per set (8.98) while junior Paris Downing and sophomore Keira Moore round out the leaders with Downing being second in blocks per set (1.09) and Moore in eighth in digs per set (3.74).
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About Western Illinois. The Leathernecks go into the weekend 6-13 overall and 5-3 within the conference. WIU’s last contest was a 3-0 loss to non-conference foe, Chicago State. The Leathernecks have earned big conference wins over Morehead State, Little Rock, UT Martin, and SIUE. The Leathernecks rank first in the OVC and 15th in the nation in total digs (1,283) while standing third in the conference and ninth in the nation in digs per set (17.11).
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Leading the Leathernecks. Keyana Cruse ranks first in the OVC in attacks per set (10.59) and total attacks (720) while holding the fifth-most kills per set (3.34). Brittany Wulf stands tall in attacks per set with 9.94 to rank third in the conference. Julianna Schmidt sits fifth in total blocks (71) and seventh in blocks per set (1.01) within the OVC. Karli Wenzel rounds out the leaders with 323 digs and 4.36 digs per set which is fifth best in the conference.
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More Information. For more information about USI Volleyball and Athletics, go to USIScreamingEagles.com or follow USI Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
