EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) and junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) were awarded their third Ohio Valley Conference weekly accolade this season with Anderson named Offensive Player of the Week and Sobieralski earning Setter of the Week.
The Screaming Eagles closed out the season on a four-match winning streak and went 2-0 in the final week of conference play. USI put up over 16 kills per set and a stellar .259 hitting percentage against the University of Tennessee at Martin. The Eagles’ defense posted 23 digs per set and over two blocks per set. With USI playing efficiently in the season finale, the Eagles clinched an OVC Championship berth for the first time in program history.
Anderson’s offense led the conference with 36 kills with over five kills per set in the two-match span. On Wednesday, Anderson secured 19 kills and 25 digs for her 10th double-double of the season with her 25 digs being a season high. During Thursday’s outing, Anderson secured 17 kills and had a whopping .405 hitting percentage that lifted her to her ninth straight double-digit kill performance. Anderson, who won Offensive Player of the Week last week, leads the OVC in total kills (428) and points (506.5) going into the postseason. Anderson has won the weekly award three times with her first on October 2 and second on November 13.
Sobieralski led the passing game in the conference with 89 assists and nearly 13 assists per set in the two wins over UT Martin. In Wednesday’s victory, Sobieralski nabbed 51 assists for her fourth 50+ assist match of the season. On Thursday, the setter secured 38 assists to staple her ninth straight 35+ assist performance. On the defensive end, Sobieralski put up the second-most digs on the team with 18 digs and 15 digs, respectively, to post back-to-back double-doubles. Sobieralski has taken the Setter of the Week title three times with her first on October 2 and second on October 23.
Anderson and Sobieralski look to lead the Eagles to a first-round victory in the OVC Championship against Morehead State University. USI, who is the five seed, is 0-2 against the Eagles this season after dropping the series on the road in early October. Morehead State, who claims the four seed, makes its eighth straight tournament appearance and looks for its first title since 2020.
