CHARLESTON, Ill. –University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (15-16, 10-8 OVC) had its season come to a close after falling in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship semifinal match to No. 1 Eastern Illinois University (27-4, 15-3 OVC) at Lantz Arena Tuesday, 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 26-24). The Screaming Eagles impressed the USI faithful by earning 14 more wins than last season and clinching their first-ever postseason berth in the NCAA Division I era.
USI could not keep up with the Panthers’ offense, falling 25-19 in the opening set. The Eagles got the scoring started with a kill from junior middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) that helped USI stay close with EIU, 5-5. The Panthers caught some momentum and scored five of the next six points to take an early lead. The Eagles cut the deficit in half with the help of a kill from senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) before the Panthers went on another run that extended their lead to 14-8. Trailing 19-13, USI sparked by scoring six of the next eight points to cut the deficit to just two. Even after the late rally, the Eagles allowed three straight kills to drop the first set. EIU posted a massive 17 kills compared to USI’s nine kills. However, the Eagles did record four blocks and two aces.
Â
A tough set from start to finish leads to a 25-14 loss for USI in the second frame. The Panthers scored five of the first six points of the set until the Eagles added some insurance and ran the score up to 6-4. EIU went on a quick 4-0 run until USI’s defense forced a pair of attacking errors to keep it close at 10-6. The Panthers would then go on a 6-0 surge that caught the Eagles lacking and put EIU up by 10. USI would get something rolling after getting three kills from Downing and one from junior outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) to put the score to 19-11. Weber and sophomore middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) posted back-to-back kills later in the frame, but it was not enough to start a comeback. USI recorded nine kills and 10 errors with a negative attacking percentage. Both sides were protective at the net as the Panthers nabbed five blocks and the Eagles threw down three blocks.
Â
A more competitive set resulted in a 26-24 loss for the Eagles and ended their season. The Panthers pounced early with four straight points and would hold a 6-3 advantage until a 4-0 run from USI flipped the script. Leah Anderson kicked off the run with a kill followed by three offensive miscues from EIU. After the Panthers knotted it up at 12 apiece, the Eagles turned around and posted three straight points with the help of a Bianca Anderson kill and a Weber ace to go up 15-12. With USI leading 17-16, EIU gained some momentum with a 4-0 run to take a three-point lead. Not being phased, the Eagles returned the favor with their own 4-0 surge off three errors from EIU and a kill from Downing to give USI a 21-20 advantage. Both sides traded points until the Panthers posted back-to-back kills to seal the match. EIU recorded a match-high 18 kills while USI put up their match-high of 14 kills and just four errors to secure a 0.278 hitting percentage which was the highest recorded by either team.
Â
Downing was the lone Eagle to produce double-digit kills and also led the team in blocks with 11 kills and five blocks. Bianca Anderson put up big numbers for USI with seven kills and four blocks while Weber led the team with two aces. Junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) threw up 27 assists while sophomore libero/defensive specialist Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) recorded a team-high 13 digs for her 11th-straight double-digit dig performance.
Â
As a team, the Eagles had 32 kills, 31 assists, and three aces with 45 digs and 10 blocks. The Panthers recorded 46 kills, 43 assists, and six aces to pair with 50 digs and nine blocks.
Â
