Eagles rebound with three-setter over Bearcats

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The University of Southern Indiana volleyball team bounced back in Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a three-set victory (25-19, 25-17, 25-11) over visitor Southwest Baptist University Saturday afternoon.

The Screaming Eagles (8-8, 2-2 GLVC) posted a blazing .355 team hitting percentage compared to the Bearcats’ (2-14, 0-4 GLVC) .079. USI only committed 10 attack errors collectively, within one day of posting 26 against Drury University.

Freshman outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) led the way on the attack with 13 kills and a commanding .462 attack clip. Anderson also led the way on the receiving end with nine digs, one shy of her third double-double of the season.

Junior setter Casey Cepicky (St. Louis, Missouri) collected 37 assists, guiding the Eagles to 43 team kills for the match. Cepicky was also one of three Eagles to come within two of Anderson’s team-high nine digs, along with freshman libero Audrey Crowder (Avon, Indiana) and freshman setter Kelsie Vanitvelt (Grand Blanc, Michigan).

First Set: USI 25, Southwest Baptist 19

The Eagles and Bearcats traded the lead five times early on in the frame before USI took over for good at 9-8, dropping a 7-2 run on the visitors. Each of the three sets started in similar fashion, though USI never lost the opening lead in either of the second and third sets.

Anderson and senior outside hitter Lindsey Stose (Elkhart, Indiana) did a majority of the damage for the Eagles, combining for nine kills on a .500 hitting clip. Stose also added a service ace and a block in the first set.

Second Set: USI 25, Southwest Baptist 17

Cepicky directed traffic on her way to 14 assists in the second frame as USI dropped 17 more kills on the Bearcats. The junior setter, along with Crowder, also led the Eagles with four digs.

Anderson maintained her pace with four more kills in the second, accompanied by four more kills from senior middle blocker Amanda Jung (Belleville, Illinois).

Third Set: USI 25, Southwest Baptist 11

The Eagles dropped a 13-2 streak on the Bearcats squarely in the middle of the frame after allowing a 5-5 start. Outscoring SBU 20-6 after the final tie led USI to allowing its second-lowest opposing output of any set in 2019.

Sophomore middle hitter Taylor Litteken (Foristell, Missouri) entered the match for the first time a few points into the third to lead the final frame with six points via a four-for-four attack performance and three blocks.

Cepicky’s 12 assists on USI’s 13 kills positioned the Eagles for a .423 hitting clip as a unit. Much of that output came between Litteken and Anderson, combining for eight kills on a blistering .727 attack rate.

Up Next

USI Volleyball travels to Lebanon, Illinois for a quick visit with the McKendree University Bearcats Thursday evening before returning to the Screaming Eagles Arena Thursday to host the University of Missouri-St. Louis.