Five different players had at least five kills for the University of Southern Indiana volleyball team as the Screaming Eagles recorded their sixth straight victory with a 25-22, 26-24, 25-12 Midwest Region win over Trevecca Nazarene University Tuesday evening at the Physical Activities Center.
USI (17-7) used a 6-1 run to build a commanding 22-16 lead late in the opening frame; then held off a late Trevecca Nazarene rally to earn the three-point win and one-set lead in the match. Sophomore middle hitter Te’Ayla Whitfield(Fort Wayne, Indiana) had three kills and a .429 attacking percentage in the opening stanza, while senior middle blockerAbbey Winter (Germantown, Illinois) and sophomore outside hitter Shelbi Morris (Brazil, Indiana) each had four kills in the first frame.
Despite jumping out to a 10-6 lead early in the second set, the Eagles had to play catch-up late as they found themselves facing a 21-19 deficit. Freshman outside hitter Mary Kate Byrnes (Chicago, Illinois), however, came off the bench to record a kill; then Morris found an opening for another kill as the Eagles tied the set at 21-21.
A kill from senior right side hitter Erica Oberbroeckling (Westfield, Indiana) moments later put the Eagles up, 25-24; while Byrnes ended the set with her second kill in as many attacks, giving USI the two-point win and two-set advantage heading into intermission.
Oberbroeckling had six of her match-high tying 12 kills in the second set, while freshman setter Erika Peoples(Bloomington, Illinois) had 15 of her match-high 34 assists.
The Eagles led 10-7 in the third set before going on an 11-0 run that featured six attacking errors by the Trojans. Oberbroeckling and Byrnes each had a pair of kills and a block in the run that ended with USI holding a comfortable 21-7 cushion. USI held the Trojans (12-10) to a negative .158 attacking clip in the final frame and a .098 clip for the match.
In addition to Oberbroeckling, the Eagles got nine kills and 13 digs from Morris as well as eight kills and two blocks from Winter. Whitfield finished with five kills, a .500 attacking percentage, and three blocks, while Byrnes tallied five kills and a .444 attacking percentage in a little more than a set of work.
Sophomore libero Shannon Farrell (Munster, Indiana) had a match-high 20 digs to lead the Eagles’ back row; while Peoples had a double-double as she added 10 digs to her 34 assists.
USI returns to action Friday at 7 p.m. when it travels to Springfield, Missouri, to take on Drury University in a Great Lakes Valley Conference match. The Eagles conclude their 2015 regular-season road slate with a trip to Rolla, Missouri, to take on Missouri University of Science & Technology the following day at 3 p.m.
Following this weekend’s road trip, the Eagles play their final five matches of the regular season at the PAC.
