A pair of five-point stretches in the deciding frame of a five-set thriller proved to be the difference between a win and a loss Saturday afternoon as University of Southern Indiana Volleyball suffered a 20-25, 26-24, 25-21, 23-25, 15-10 Great Lakes Valley Conference setback to visiting Rockhurst University at the Physical Activities Center.
After rallying from a one-set deficit to force a deciding fifth frame, the Screaming Eagles jumped out to a 7-4 lead in the final stanza. Rockhurst, however, scored five straight points to steal USI’s momentum and, more importantly, build a 9-7 advantage in the push to 15.
USI (6-5, 1-1 GLVC) got back-to-back kills to tie the frame at 9-9; then tied it at 10-10 following a Rockhurst ball-handling error. The Hawks, though, responded with another 5-0 run that included back-to-back aces to clinch the victory.
Earlier in the contest, USI used a 7-1 run to open the first set and another 7-1 surge to close the frame as it earned the five-point win and 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set, which featured four lead changes and 15 ties, saw the Eagles fight off set-point to tie the frame at 24-24. Rockhurst, however, got back-to-back kills to earn the two-point win and tie the match at a set apiece.
Rockhurst (8-3, 2-0 GLVC), the defending NCAA II Midwest Region champions, used runs of 6-2 and 5-0 to earn a four-point win in the third set. The Eagles used a 4-0 run and a 3-0 run to build a 22-18 lead late in the fourth set; then held off a late Rockhurst surge to earn the two-point win and even the match at 2-2.
Senior middle hitter Amy Zwissler (Bloomington, Indiana) had 18 kills, a .444 attacking percentage, and four blocks to lead the Eagles, while junior middle hitter Te’Ayla Whitfield (Fort Wayne, Indiana) added 13 kills and five blocks. Freshman right side hitter Amanda Jung (Belleville, Illinois) chipped in 12 kills and five blocks, while freshman outside hitter Mikaila Humphrey (Floyd Knobs, Indiana) contributed 13 kills.
Sophomore setter Erika Peoples (Bloomington, Illinois), once again, did a solid job of distributing the ball as she finished with 54 assists, five blocks and 11 digs. Junior libero Shannon Farrell (Munster, Indiana) and junior outside hitter Shelbi Morris (Brazil, Indiana) had 29 and 24 digs, respectively, while junior defensive specialist Jessica Lee (Mackinaw, Illinois) finished with 13 digs and a pair of aces.
As a team, USI hit .240 for the match, including .385 in the opening set. Five different players had at least 33 attack attempts for the Eagles, with Humphrey topping out at 45.
USI returns to action Friday at 7 p.m. when it travels to Kirksville, Missouri, to take on Truman State University. The Eagles also visit Quincy University next Saturday at 3 p.m.
Note: Farrell continues to inch closer to career-dig No. 1,000. She needs just six more to become the 11th player in program history to reach the milestone.
Short Box Score (Match)
Univ. of Southern Indiana Volleyball
Rockhurst vs Southern Indiana (Sep 17, 2016 at Evansville, IN)
Rockhurst def. Southern Indiana 20-25,26-24,25-21,23-25,15-1
Rockhurst (8-3, 2-0 GLVC)
(Kills-aces-blocks) – Rietzke, Morgan 20-0-1; Gray, Mattie 18-0-1; Reichert, Karli 14-1-2; Hogge, Holli 11-0-5; Rolf, Mary 10-0-4; Thornburg, Lily 2-3-4; Arnold, Kalie 0-1-0; Carter, Grace 0-0-2; Totals 75-5-10.0. (Assists) – Thornburg, Lily 49; Carter, Grace 11. (Dig leaders) – Hellwege, Anne 33; Rietzke, Morgan 20; Reichert, Karli 14; Arnold, Kalie 10; Thornburg, Lily 9
Southern Indiana (6-5, 1-1 GLVC)
(Kills-aces-blocks) – Zwissler, Amy 18-1-4; Whitfield, Te’Ayla 13-0-5; Humphrey, Mikaila 13-0-0; Jung, Amanda 12-0-5; Morris, Shelbi 8-0-0; Peoples, Erika 2-1-5; Limper, Haley 0-1-0; Lee, Jessica 0-2-0; Farrell, Shannon 0-2-0; Totals 66-7-11.0. (Assists) – Peoples, Erika 54. (Dig leaders) – Farrell, Shannon 29; Morris, Shelbi 24; Lee, Jessica 13; Peoples, Erika 1
Site: Evansville, IN (PAC)
Date: Sep 17, 2016Â Â Attend: 195Â Â Time: 2:28
Referees: Josh Bagley, John Hunley
