GAINESVILLE, Fla.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball battled Big Ten opponent Ohio State University to four sets, falling 3-1 (12-25, 25-23, 17-25, 24-26). USI earned their first power four conference set win in the second frame along with being inches away from forcing a fifth set.
The Screaming Eagles stumbled out of the gate struggling to defend the Buckeyes high-powered attack trailing 21-5. USI started to find themselves with the help of two explosive kills from senior Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) and a service ace from freshman Kerigan Fehr (Fairbury, Illinois). However, the Buckeyes prevailed after firing home .393 percent of their attacks opposed to the Eagles .033.
USI bounced back in set two to shock the Buckeyes, 25-23. The two new Eagles, senior Jasmine Green (Rockwall, Texas) and sophomore Ashby Willis (Mount Carmel, Illinois) helped the Eagles build a 12-10 lead with seven total kills. The Buckeyes countered with a 5-0 run, taking a late 23-20 lead. USI refused to back down, converting the final five points of the match. Willis dominated with three straight kills, finishing the set with six. Fehr delivered another clutch service ace in an impressive performance by the freshman. USI minimized their mistakes with only two errors and a .387 hitting percentage.
The Buckeyes regained the lead after 18 kills on a match-high .389 hitting percentage as the Eagles fell, 17-25. Green totaled three early kills on perfectly placed assists from junior Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) and senior Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) to give USI the 12-11 lead. The Buckeyes ended the set on a 14-5 run to take a 2-1 set lead.
The Eagles came inches away from forcing a fifth set but fell 26-24 to conclude the match. USI made an early 5-0 run to lead 11-9. Sophomore Leah Coleman (Hoover, Alabama) contributed four early kills to fire up the Eagles. Ohio State countered with their own 5-0 run behind three-straight powerful service aces from preseason All-Big Ten nominee Emily Londot. The Buckeyes owned a 24-21 lead, before USI snatched three straight points to tie it. However, Ohio State earned the final two points to clinch the game.
Green led the Eagles in kills for the third time with 16. Sobieralski shinned passing out a team-leading 33 assists along with a recording a double-double at 12 digs. Defensively, Sobieralski led with 12 digs along with Moore and Willis also recording double-digit digs. Junior Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois), Sobieralski, and Downing all recorded three blocks each, while Fehr smashed a team-leading two service aces.
As a team, USI finished with 45 kills, 42 assists, 49 digs, 12 blocks, four service aces, and a .218 attacking percentage. Ohio State tallied 62 kills, 52 assists, 49 digs, ten blocks, 10 service aces, and a .282 hitting percentage. Tonight’s narrow loss brings many positives and confidence built as USI looks forward to competing again tomorrow night against a nationally ranked squad.
Next Up
The Eagles are back tomorrow night against nationally ranked #10 University of Florida at 3 p.m. CT. No broadcast again, but the Gators are offering a radio link that can be found on the USI Volleyball Schedule.
