USI will host a four-team tournament in September
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Volleyball has announced its non-conference schedule for the 2023 campaign. The 11-game stint includes the USI Invitational, a four-team round-robin style tournament on September 8 & 9 at Screaming Eagles Arena.
The Screaming Eagles kick off the season in Bloomington, Indiana for the Indiana Invitational. USI battles the University of New Hampshire and Radford University on August 25 before facing the host, Indiana University, on August 26.
USI heads to Louisville, Kentucky for the Bellarmine Invitational where the Eagles will duel against Murray State University and Bellarmine University on September 1 before challenging University of New Orleans on September 2. This will be the first matchup between the Eagles and Knights since October 2019 when both schools were NCAA Division II and Great Lakes Valley Conference members.
The USI Invitational will highlight the non-conference schedule where the Eagles will welcome the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Bradley University, and Jacksonville State University for the two-day event. USI faces the Golden Lions and Gamecocks on September 8 before ending the round-robin against the Braves on September 9. USI’s matches on September 8 will be streamed live on ESPN+.
In non-tournament fashion, the Eagles travel to Meeks Family Fieldhouse on the east side of Evansville to face cross-town foe, University of Evansville, on August 29. USI will close out the non-conference slate in Indianapolis against the Jaguars of IUPUI on September 13.
After non-conference play, the Eagles face Ohio Valley Conference competition for the second time in program history with nine home and nine away matches. USI hopes to compete in the OVC Championship after missing out on the post-season tournament last season, going 1-28 overall and 1-17 in conference play in 2022. The OVC Championship will take place for three days at the discretion of the host. That event could be played Sunday thru Tuesday or Monday thru Wednesday, or split over the Thanksgiving break (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Wednesday, Friday, Saturday) if necessary.
USI will welcome head coach Jeffrey Aucoin as the 13th head coach in USI Volleyball program history. Aucoin takes over the reins of the Eagles after spending 10 years at Harvard University’s women’s volleyball program as an assistant coach. USI also welcomes five newcomers to the roster and will return 11 players from last season, including five starters.
