AUGUSTINE, Fla.—Junior outside hitter Shelbi Morris(Brazil, Indiana) and freshman outside hitter Mikaila Humphrey(Floyd Knobs, Indiana) combined for 35 kills as University of Southern Indiana Volleyball rallied from another two-set deficit, this time posting a 16-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-15, 15-10 come-from-behind victory over Valdosta State University in its third match of the Flagler Invitational Saturday morning.
After struggling to muster any type of offensive attack in the first two sets, the Screaming Eagles found themselves facing a 19-13 deficit in the third frame. Two straight kills by junior middle hitter Te’Ayla Whitfield (Fort Wayne, Indiana) sparked USI’s comeback.
Whitfield and freshman right side hitter Amanda Jung (Belleville, Illinois) combined for three kills moments later as USI trimmed the Trailblazers’ advantage to 22-21. USI tied the set at 22-22 on a kill from Humphrey; then took advantage of back-to-back Valdosta State attacking errors to build a 24-23 advantage.
Sophomore defensive specialist Haley Limper (Springfield, Illinois) had a kill from the back row to give the Eagles the two-point win and keep their hopes alive.
After seeing Whitfield and Jung combine for seven kills and a .350 attacking percentage in the third set, Morris and Humphrey took over in the fourth frame as the Eagles offense exploded to the tune of a .435 attacking percentage. Morris racked up seven of her match-high 19 kills in the fourth frame, while Humphrey hammered down five kills in six swings as USI cruised to a 10-point win to even the match at two sets.
USI used a pair of 3-0 bursts early in the deciding frame to establish a 7-3 lead it would not relinquish. Humphrey, who had 12 of her 16 kills in the final three sets, had four kills and a .375 attacking percentage in the fifth frame as USI earned its second straight five-set victory.
In addition to Morris and Humphrey, the Eagles got five kills and seven blocks from Whitfield, while junior libero Shannon Farrell (Munster, Indiana) finished with 16 digs and four aces. Senior setter Quin Shoultz (Columbus, Indiana) had a match-high 43 assists and 17 digs, while Morris and Limper finished with 13 and 11 digs, respectively.
USI concludes the Flagler Invitational today at 3:30 p.m. when it takes on Brevard College. The Eagles defeated the Tornados in three sets in their first match Friday.
