LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Junior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) recorded a career-high 26 kills despite University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (1-21, 1-10 OVC) ending the road stint with a 3-2 (29-31, 17-25, 25-11, 25-18, 10-15) loss to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (7-18, 4-8 OVC) Saturday night at Jack Stephens Center. The Screaming Eagles were down 2-0 before forcing a fifth set with a late comeback.
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Despite holding a late lead, USI watched Little Rock steal an opening set win, 31-29. The Eagles kicked off the frame with a 5-0 run that included four Trojan attacking errors and a kill from Anderson. Little Rock would later threaten USI’s lead after the Eagles had five straight attacking errors to tie the set at 12 apiece. However, USI turned things around after a monster kill from sophomore outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) and a service ace from sophomore outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) to make it a two-point Eagles’ advantage. USI was able to push the lead even further and issued a set point at 24-19 before Little Rock stormed back and scored six straight points and forced extra play. The Eagles could not converge on a one-point lead and watched the Trojans throw down a kill and an ace to take the 1-0 match lead. USI outhit Little Rock in the first game with 14 kills compared to 12 kills.
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An early Trojans lead ends with a 25-17 Eagles second-set loss. Little Rock went on an 8-3 stint that caught USI off guard before Weber’s kill put the Eagles back in the game. Before USI knew it, Little Rock doubled up the Eagles by taking a 16-8 advantage. USI was able to threaten by cutting the deficit to six before the Trojans tallied five of the last nine points to seal the Eagles’ fate and extend to a 2-0 match advantage. Anderson recorded her 10th double-double in the second frame, finishing the set with 13 kills and 10 digs.
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The Eagles put on a clinic in the third game, rolling past the Trojans, 25-11. The set started with an 8-2 USI lead that saw six attacking errors from Little Rock. Despite the Trojans cutting the deficit to five, the Eagles went on a 7-0 stint that made it 15-3. Bednar highlighted the run with a pair of aces. With a 16-7 gap, USI went on another run that resulted in a 21-7 advantage. The Trojans were able to add four more points before the Eagles took care of business and earned their first win of the match. USI had 11 kills off 30 attempts which equals a .267 hitting percentage.
Another dominant performance from the Eagles lifts them to a 25-18 fourth-set win and ties the match at two apiece. USI jumped out to an 8-6 lead with the help of a pair of Weber kills and an Anderson ace. From there, the Eagles never gave up the lead again despite the Trojans’ efforts on offense. USI recorded a match-high 15 kills in the fourth game with just three errors to produce a match-high .316 attacking percentage. This was the first time this season that the Eagles came back from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set.
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The final frame ended with a 15-10 loss for USI and ended their miraculous comeback. The set started with a 4-0 Little Rock run until Anderson’s one of four kills in the set to stop the bleeding. The Eagles were doubled up 8-4 before sophomore middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) added a kill that cut the deficit to two. A service ace from sophomore defensive specialist/outside hitter Anna Ballengee (Montgomery, Indiana) kept USI alive before Little Rock tacked on the final points to win the match.
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Three Eagles nabbed double-doubles in the match. Anderson earned 26 kills and 18 digs while Weber tallied 11 kills and 14 digs with sophomore setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) producing 22 assists and 20 digs. Ballengee led the team with three aces while Bednar and Downing added five blocks each.
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USI totaled 56 kills, 52 assists, and seven aces, which were all match highs. The Eagles’ defense put up 82 digs and nine blocks. Despite losing the match, USI produced 72 points compared to Little Rock’s 68 points.
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