Eagles close out homestand Tuesday against Panthers

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (6-8, 2-1 OVC) will end its longest homestand of the season when the Screaming Eagles welcome Eastern Illinois University (13-1, 3-0 OVC) to Screaming Eagles Arena on Tuesday. The theme for the match is red out where fans are encouraged to wear red to support USI. The first 50 USI students to attend will receive a free t-shirt.
 
Game Coverage
Information about USI Volleyball, including live stats, video, and audio broadcasts, is available on USIScreamingEagles.com. 
 
Tickets
Admission to all USI Volleyball home matches is free, courtesy of Tri-State Orthopaedics.
 
Screaming Eagles Headlines:
Eagles Defend Home Territory. The Screaming Eagles earned its first Ohio Valley Conference win of the season after defeating Little Rock, 3-1, on Friday and then earning the weekend sweep on Saturday, 3-0, at Screaming Eagles Arena.
 
You Have To #OVCit. USI will battle Eastern Illinois for the final time this season. The Panthers got the best of the Eagles last week, 3-2, and own a perfect 3-0 all-time record. The match will be a “red out” and fans are encouraged to wear red.
 
Consistent Starts. Junior Carly Sobieralski has totaled 20 or more assists in all 14 matches. Senior Leah Anderson has racked up 10 or more kills in 12 matches while sophomore Keira Moore has nabbed 10 or more digs in the same amount.
 
Double-Doubles. Three Eagles have secured double-doubles this season. Junior Carly Sobieralski leads the team with seven double-doubles while senior Leah Anderson has recorded five and senior Abby Bednar has totaled four.
 
Nationally Acclaimed. Due to USI being in the DI reclassification period, the Eagles are not ranked in the NCAA statistical rankings. However, senior Leah Anderson would stand 28th in total attacks (556) and 35th in attacks per set (10.90). (as of 9/24)
 
OVC Leaderboard. USI ranks third in service aces per set (1.71) and fourth in opponent aces per set (1.45), blocks per set (1.94), and opponent hitting percentage (.192) within the conference. The Eagles are fifth in the OVC standings after week one.
 
OVC Leaders. Senior Abby Bednar sits in third in aces per set (0.46) and fifth in points per set (3.97) and kills per set (3.22). Junior Carly Sobieralski ranks fifth in assists per set (8.69) while senior Leah Anderson stands fourth in kills per set (3.49) and points per set (4.10). Junior Paris Downing, junior Abby Weber, and sophomore Keira Moore round out the OVC leaders with Downing being seventh in blocks per set (0.94), Weber sitting ninth in aces per set (0.40), and Moore being seventh in digs per set (3.65).
 
Team Leaders. Senior Leah Anderson leads the pack with 178 kills with senior Abby Bednar trailing close behind with 161 kills. Bednar leads the team with 23 aces. Junior Paris Downing has nabbed 48 blocks while sophomore Keira Moore has added 186 digs. Junior Carly Sobieralski has shown true potential in the passing game, putting up 443 assists.
 
About Eastern Illinois. The Panthers come to Evansville with a 13-1 overall record, going 3-0 in OVC play after defeating USI in five sets and taking two from UT Martin. EIU leads the conference in nine of the 13 statistical categories and is first in the standings. The Panthers rank fourth and fifth in the nation in aces per set and total aces, respectively. They also are 21st in opponent hitting percentage and 25th in hitting percentage. (as of 9/24)
 
Leading the Panthers. Natalie Mitchem has produced an OVC-leading .346 hitting percentage and a second-best 4.12 points per set. Giovanna Larregui-Lopez stands first in aces per set (0.67), kills per set (3.75), and points per set (4.61) in the OVC while ranking seventh and eighth in the nation in aces per set and total aces. Christina Martinez Mundo leads the conference in digs per set (5.70), fourth most in NCAA DI, while ranking sixth in total digs (291) in the nation. Catalina Rochaix rounds out the Panthers with a conference-leading 10.76 assists per set, ranking 26th in the NCAA. (as of 9/24)
 
More Information. For more information about USI Volleyball and Athletics, go to USIScreamingEagles.com or follow USI Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.