EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (6-9, 1-2 OVC) falls in a nail-biter against University of Tennessee at Martin (3-9, 1-2 OVC) in five sets (15-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-21, 13-15).
Junior Keira Moore had a special night eclipsing 1,000 career digs. Moore reached this mark in only her third year becoming the 15th Screaming Eagle to achieve this remarkable achievement. The Castle product also earned a season-high 29 digs tonight.
Set 1: UTM 25, USI 15
USI came out flat falling behind early, 12-6 on six USI attacking errors. Senior Jasmine Green tried to help the Eagles dig themselves out of the hole with two big kills. However, the Skyhawk offense overwhelmed the Eagles with a set high .229 hitting percentage compared to USI’s -.026 percentage. The Eagles dropped their 11th first set of the season.
Set 2: UTM 21, USI 25
USI minimized the self-inflicted mistakes in set two with only five errors. Sophomore Leah Coleman, senior Paris Downing, and sophomore Ashby Willis came alive smashing two kills each to give the Eagles a 13-11 lead. The senior duo of Carly Sobieralski to Downing connected to clinch the set two victory. Junior Bianca Anderson, Coleman, Downing, and Green all tallied multiple kills to keep the Skyhawks guessing. The second set victory marked the Eagles ninth second frame win of the year.
Set 3: UTM 25, USI 20
USI struggled to start the set once again falling behind 14-8 committing seven attack errors. Coleman led the Eagles on a charge with three consecutive kills from Sobieralski. However, the early deficit became too steep to overcome. The Skyhawks dominated blocking the Eagles at the net through three sets with 12 total blocks opposed USI’s two.
Set 4: UTM 21, USI 25
The Eagles reversed the early trends jumping out to the hot start, 8-5. Anderson swatted home her patented kill straight through the middle to extend the Eagles lead, 12-9. She continued to feast with her fourth kill of the set to maintain a four-point lead. Moore frustrated the Skyhawk attack tallying nine set digs leading the Eagles with 23. USI forced game five after only committing four errors.
Set 5: UTM 15, USI 13
USI fell into another hole as the Skyhawks took the first five points. The Eagles roared back on a four-point run off emphatic kills from Downing and Green. Moore led another USI run of five points with a rare kill off a dig, along with a service ace making it 9-6 Eagles. After a UT Martin timeout, the Skyhawks erupted on a 7-1 run to lead 13-10. Willis answered with a kill and service ace to draw within one. However, USI failed to mount another late run falling in five sets.
Downing lead the Eagles offensively for the first team this season with 13 kills at a season high. Sobieralski finished with 46 assists and 13 digs in another double-double. Moore tallied a monstrous 29 digs, missing a career high by three digs. Downing also excelled defensively with four blocks.
As a team, USI finished with 55 kills, 51 assists, 80 digs, four aces, seven blocks, and a .134 attacking percentage. The Skyhawks earned 62 kills, 59 assists, 92 digs, six aces, 15 blocks, and a .147 hitting percentage.
