Three University of Southern Indiana Volleyball players recorded double-digit kills Friday night as the Screaming Eagles cruised to a 25-19, 25-21, 25-14 victory over visiting William Jewell College in their Great Lakes Valley Conference opener at the Physical Activities Center.
After playing to a 10-10 tie in the opening frame, the Eagles used a 6-1 outburst to build a five-point edge. USI had 17 kills in the first set as it earned the six-point win.
USI (6-4, 1-0 GLVC) and Jewell battled to an 11-11 tie in the second stanza, but a 9-1 USI surge left the Eagles with a commanding 20-12 edge.
The Cardinals (4-5, 0-1 GLVC) trimmed USI’s lead in half later in the set, but it was too little too late as the Eagles held on for the four-point win and a two-set lead in the match.
USI dominated the third frame as it used a .429 attacking percentage and a 12-3 run to cruise to the 11-point, match-clinching win. Senior middle hitter Amy Zwissler (Bloomington, Indiana) had four of her match-high 12 kills in the third set, while junior middle hitter Te’Ayla Whitfield (Fort Wayne, Indiana) chipped in four of her 11 kills and two of her three blocks in the clincher.
Whitfield and Zwissler finished with attacking percentages of .450 and .391, respectively, while freshman right side hitter Amanda Jung(Belleville, Illinois) added 11 kills and a match-high .588 attacking percentage.
Sophomore setter Erika Peoples (Bloomington, Illinois) set the table for the Eagles as she finished with 40 assists, including 15 in the first frame.
Junior libero Shannon Farrell (Munster, Indiana) and junior outside hitter Shelbi Morris (Brazil, Indiana) had 19 and 12 digs, respectively, as the Eagles held the Cardinals to .066 attacking percentage for the match and a negative .071 clip in the third set.
Farrell continues to inch closer to her 1,000th career dig as she need just 35 more to become the 11th player in program history to reach the milestone.
USI returns to action Saturday at 3 p.m. when it takes on defending NCAA II Midwest Region champion Rockhurst University at the PAC. The Hawks (7-3, 1-0 GLVC) defeated Bellarmine University in four sets Friday night.
Short Box Score (Match)
Univ. of Southern Indiana Volleyball
William Jewell vs Southern Indiana (Sep 16, 2016 at Evansville, IN)
Southern Indiana def. William Jewell 25-19,25-21,25-14
William Jewell (4-5, 0-1 GLVC)
(Kills-aces-blocks) – Cunningham, Paige 11-0-4; Johnson, Madeline 4-0-3; Richterkessing, Stef 3-0-2; Miller, Grace 2-0-4; Booton, Mary 2-0-0; Booth, Leslie 2-0-1; Rau, Jenna 1-0-2; Tolberd, Olivia 0-3-0; Lindhorst, Amy 0-1-0; Totals 25-4-8.0. (Assists) – Weigel, Alix 14; Lindhorst, Amy 11. (Dig leaders) – Tolberd, Olivia 18; Richterkessing, Stef 7
Southern Indiana (6-4, 1-0 GLVC)
(Kills-aces-blocks) – Zwissler, Amy 12-1-2; Whitfield, Te’Ayla 11-0-3; Jung, Amanda 10-0-0; Humphrey, Mikaila 7-0-2; Morris, Shelbi 4-0-0; Peoples, Erika 3-2-0; Farrell, Shannon 1-0-0; Limper, Haley 0-1-0; Totals 48-4-5.0. (Assists) – Peoples, Erika 40. (Dig leaders) – Farrell, Shannon 19; Morris, Shelbi 12; Limper, Haley 9
Site: Evansville, IN (PAC)
Date: Sep 16, 2016Â Â Attend: 420Â Â Time: 1:20
Referees: John Hunley, Josh Bagley
