USI falls to UT Martin, 3-0
MARTIN, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (1-17, 1-6 OVC) was swept by the University of Tennessee at Martin (12-8, 6-1 OVC) at Skyhawk Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon, 3-0 (21-25, 25-27, 10-25). The Screaming Eagles have now lost three-straight matches and are still searching for their first road win of the season.
USI dropped the opening set to UT Martin, 25-21. Down 4-1, junior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) and sophomore outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) tallied one kill each to cut the deficit to one. The Skyhawks would pull away and end up taking a 17-12 advantage. The Eagles, however, returned the favor with a 4-0 run that included three kills to make it 17-16. UT Martin turned around with a 4-1 stint before USI tacked on three straight to close the gap to just one again. The Skyhawks closed out the set by scoring four of the final five points to win the opening frame.
A much more competitive set from USI ends in UT Martin’s favor, as the Skyhawks take the second set, 27-25. The Eagles went down 4-1 to start the frame before kills from Bednar and Anderson helped USI tie it at four apiece. UT Martin went on a 4-0 surge to double up USI, 8-4. Later in the set, the Skyhawks held a five-point lead before the Eagles stormed back to cut the deficit to just 18-17. UT Martin would record six of the next eight points to add to their lead and make it a set-point opportunity. However, USI went down fighting, scoring five straight points with two kills and the help of three UT Martin attacking errors to tie it at 24. Despite a strong finish, the Eagles watched the Skyhawks tack on the final two points off two kills to give them a two-set lead. Anderson led USI with five kills while sophomore outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) recorded four kills. The Eagles nabbed 13 kills with a .294 attacking percentage compared to the Skyhawks’ immaculate 20 kills and .233 hitting percentage.
It was a tough third frame for USI, dropping the final set, 25-10. The Eagles showed effort early in the set after earning four kills to tie it at five apiece. The Skyhawks turned on the jets and racked up a crucial 16-2 run that cost USI the set and match. The stint included eight kills and four aces for UT Martin. Down 21-7, freshman middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) threw down a kill to stop the run and nab her second kill of the match. The Skyhawks would tack on four more points to win the set and their sixth Ohio Valley Conference match of the campaign.
Anderson’s 10 kills led the Eagles’ offense while Bednar recorded nine kills. Sophomore setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) handled the passing game for USI with 25 assists while Weber earned a team-high 12 digs. Bednar and sophomore middle blocker Lauren O’Neill (Covington, Indiana) put up three blocks each to lead the Eagles at the net.
USI produced 31 kills and 28 aces while finishing with 42 digs and five blocks. This was the first time this season the Eagles did not earn at least one ace in a match.
