For the second time in less than 24 hours, the University of Southern Indiana volleyball team found itself in a five-set thriller; and for the second time the Screaming Eagles prevailed, this time earning a 25-20, 21-25, 25-16, 27-29, 15-13 win over defending Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division champion Truman State University at the Physical Activities Center.
USI (10-2, 3-1 GLVC) opened the fifth set by winning four of the first five rallies to grab a three-point lead; then used a 6-1 outburst later in the frame to build a commanding 11-4 advantage.
Truman State (7-5, 2-2 GLVC), however, won seven of the next eight rallies to cut the Eagles’ lead to just one point.
Kills by senior middle blocker Abbey Winter (Germantown, Illinois) and junior setter Quin Shoultz (Columbus, Indiana) put the Eagles up 14-12, and a kill by junior middle hitter/outside hitter Amy Zwissler (Bloomington, Indiana) moments later clinched the victory for USI.
USI dominated offensively in the first and third sets, using .371 and .341 attacking percentages, respectively, to build a pair of one-set leads. Winter and sophomore outside hitter Shelbi Morris (Brazil, Indiana) combined for 12 kills and a .667 attacking percentage in the opening frame, while Morris and senior right side hitter Erica Oberbroeckling (Westfield, Indiana) combined for 10 kills and a .360 attacking percentage in the third stanza.
The Eagles nearly ended the match in four sets after erasing a 24-20 deficit. Winter racked up four kills and three aces as USI used a 5-0 run to gain a match-point opportunity.
However, back-to-back hitting errors by USI’s attack led to a two-point swing and a back-and-forth affair throughout the next several rallies before kills by Truman State’s Abby Heise and Kayla Bastian gave the Bulldogs a 29-27 win, sending the contest to a fifth and deciding set.
Freshman outside hitter Mary Kate Byrnes (Chicago, Illinois) put USI up 1-0 with a kill to begin the first set, while a pair of kills wrapped around a block by Shoultz and Winter gave USI the early 4-1 lead.
Morris led the Eagles with a career-high 20 kills and 26 digs, while Winter tallied 18 kills, a .341 attacking percentage, four aces, and a match-high seven blocks. Oberbroeckling finished with 15 kills and 20 digs, while Shoultz added 60 assists, three kills, three aces, 10 digs, and five blocks.
Sophomore libero Shannon Farrell (Munster, Indiana), who had 36 digs in USI’s five-set win Friday night, returned to rack up 25 digs Saturday, while freshman defensive specialist Haley Limper (Springfield, Illinois) added 15 digs.
Bastian led the Bulldogs with 19 kills on a match-high 78 attack attempts.
USI returns to action Tuesday at 6 p.m. (CDT) when it travels to Cedarville, Ohio, to take on Midwest Region foe Cedarville University. Live stats and video can be accessed at gousieagles.com.
