Sobieralski earns 1,000th career assist
CHARLESTON, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana (4-8, 0-1 OVC) drops the opening Ohio Valley Conference match of the season to Eastern Illinois University (11-1, 1-0 OVC) on Monday night at Lantz Arena, 3-2 (25-6, 26-24, 25-20, 25-22, 15-10). Junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) captured 1,000 career assists after earning 31 assists in the five-set loss.
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A lack of offense from USI led to a dominant opening-set victory for EIU, 25-6. The Eagles kicked off the frame with three straight points after kills from senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) and senior outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio). USI would earn just one more kill the rest of the set from junior middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) as the Panthers steamrolled through the game by scoring 25 of the remaining 28 points. The Eagles had just three kills and an ace with a negative .120 hitting percentage in comparison to the Panthers’ 15 kills and four aces with a staggering .667 hitting percentage.
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USI avenged its opening-set loss and battled past EIU, 26-24. Bednar kicked off the scoring with a kill before junior outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) nabbed an ace and a kill to take a 4-2 lead. The Eagles grabbed a larger lead after a 3-0 run that was capped off by another Bednar kill. EIU quickly recovered and went on a 4-0 stint that tied the game at 13 apiece. Junior middle blocker Lauren O’Neill (Covington, Indiana) stopped the stint with a big kill to take a 14-13 lead. The Panthers regained the lead off a 3-0 surge to make it 16-14. In return, the Eagles took advantage of a pair of Panthers’ miscues and a Bednar kill to take an 18-17 lead. However, EIU stormed back by scoring five of the next seven points. Down 22-20, it looked almost over for USI until a 6-2 run pushed the Eagles to a second-set win. O’Neill, Bednar, and Leah Anderson all earned kills during the stint. Despite losing the kill battle 18-14, USI had four errors and a .217 attacking percentage, both better than EIU. The Eagles also nabbed four blocks in the set.
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Despite holding an early lead, the Eagles could not hold off the Panthers, losing 25-20 in the third frame. USI held an early 5-2 advantage thanks to three kills with one coming from sophomore middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois). EIU stormed back by scoring four of the next five points to cut the deficit to just one. The Eagles sprung into action and took their largest lead of the game, 11-5, after going on a 5-0 run. Despite being down by six, the Panthers returned the favor and made it a one-point game again after scoring 11 of the next 16 points, making it 16-15. Another big run from EIU gave the Panthers the lead, 20-17. USI tried to get back into it but could not get a comeback brewing. The top offensive team in the conference prevailed after adding 16 kills with just four errors in comparison to the Eagles’ 12 kills and seven errors.
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USI was relentless in the fourth set by defeating EIU, 25-22. Tied at 11, the Panthers broke out a 5-0 surge that caught the Eagles off guard. Despite trailing, USI found a rhythm and scored eight of the next 10 points to recapture the lead, 19-18. Sobiarlaski nabbed a trio of kills during the run. Both sides traded the lead until Bianca Anderson sparked a 3-0 run that capped off the frame and gave USI the set win. The Eagles were once again outkilled 14-12 but capitalized on seven EIU errors.
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A strong start came up empty for USI as the Eagles dropped the final set, 15-10. USI went off to a 3-0 start after back-to-back kills from Leah Anderson put the Eagles in the driver’s seat. The Panthers quickly bounced back and added three straight points to tie the match up. EIU then added five more points and created an 8-4 crater deficit for USI. The Eagles were unable to come back and were handed their first conference loss of the season. Eight of USI’s 10 points came from kills while 10 of the Panthers’ 15 points were a result of kills.
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Highlighting the Eagles’ evening was Sobieralski who captured her third-straight double-double with 31 assists and 12 digs. Leah Anderson put up a team-high 16 kills while Bednar added 15 kills. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) totaled a team-high 18 digs while Weber ended the night with 11 digs to end the double-digit count. O’Neill and Downing each threw down four blocks while Sobieralski earned three.
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As a team, the Eagles had 49 kills, 45 assists, and five aces with 62 digs and 11 blocks. EIU put up 73 kills, 70 assists, and 10 aces to pair with 76 digs and 11 blocks.
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NEXT UP FOR THE EAGLES:
The Eagles return to Screaming Eagles Arena for a weekend slate against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. USI will face the Trojans on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Friday’s match will be highlighted by Teacher Appreciation Night where the Eagles will honor all local teachers, staff, and professors.
