Junior setter Casey Cepicky (St. Louis, Missouri) racked up 42 assists and 11 digs in the win, while senior outside hitter Lindsey Stose (Elkhart, Indiana) and freshman outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) combined for 32 kills.

Anderson had seven of her match-high 17 kills as well as a .455 attacking clip in the opening set as the Eagles fought off a William Jewell rally to secure the four-point win in the opener.

USI (7-6, 1-0 GLVC) used a 16-6 run to rally from a 17-9 deficit and earn the two-point win in the second frame. Both Stose and Anderson had five kills apiece in the second game as the Eagles built a two-set lead in the match.

William Jewell (4-8, 0-1 GLVC) bounced back with a strong performance in the third frame, cruising to a comfortable eight-point win behind a .286 hitting percentage.

The Eagles, however, responded with a balanced attack in the fourth set that featured a blistering .423 attacking percentage. USI had four players with at least three kills in the clincher, including four by Stose, who finished with 15 kills for the match.

In addition to Stose and Anderson, who also combined for 13 digs, the Eagles received 11 kills and a pair of blocks from freshman right side hitter Katherine Koch(Belleville, Illinois); while senior middle hitter Elexis Coleman (Joliet, Illinois) added nine kills, seven digs and three blocks.

Freshman libero/defensive specialist Audrey Crowder (Avon, Indiana) added a match-high 13 digs to lead the Eagles’ back row.

USI returns to action Saturday at 3 p.m. when it travels to Kansas City, Missouri, to take on No. 13 Rockhurst University in a GLVC match. The Hawks (11-3, 1-0 GLVC) defeated McKendree University in three sets to open conference play Friday night.