EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Despite winning the second set, University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (1-24, 1-13 OVC) ended the night with a 3-1 loss (16-25, 27-25, 10-25, 14-25) to Tennessee State University (13-15, 7-8 OVC) at Screaming Eagles Arena Friday night. This is the third-straight match the Screaming Eagles have earned 35 kills or less.
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A strong offensive outing from the Lady Tigers cost USI the 25-16 opening-frame loss. The game started with three straight offensive points from TSU before a bad set gave the Eagles their first point. Down 7-3, sophomore outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) struck down a kill right before junior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) nabbed a service ace to cut the deficit to two. The Lady Tigers returned the favor by scoring six of the next eight points to extend their 13-7 advantage. After a pair of attacking errors from TSU, the Eagles pulled within four until the Lady Tigers put on 10 of the final 16 points to capture the 1-0 match lead. TSU tallied a match-high 16 kills and a .462 hitting percentage in the first set. USI was able to record 10 kills and their match-best .214 hitting percentage.
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The Eagles found the most luck in the second set, earning a 27-25 victory. Down 4-3 early, USI retaliated and took their first lead of the match by going on a 7-0 run that gave them the 10-4 advantage. The surge was highlighted by three Anderson aces along with a pair of kills from Bednar and sophomore outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana). With a 14-9 lead, the Eagles watched the Lady Tigers come within one after a short 4-0 stretch. Things got dicey after another 4-0 run by TSU took away USI’s lead, 20-18. However, the Eagles stormed back to regain the lead at 23-22 before the Lady Tigers stole it back at 24-23. USI ended the set on a 4-1 stint that tied the match at 1-1. The Eagles earned a match-best 12 kills off 43 total attacks, the most in one set between the two sides.
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A tough outing for USI gives TSU the 25-10 third-frame win. The Eagles held a 4-3 early lead before the Lady Tigers went on a ridiculous 10-0 run to take the 13-4 advantage. TSU went on to score 12 of the final 18 points to cap off the big victory. The Lady Tigers’ defense held the Eagles to just six kills and only 29 total attacks. Junior outside/right side hitter/setter Katherine Koch (Belleville, Indiana) led the frame with a pair of kills.
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The final frame ended the same way as the third set with a 25-14 TSU match-sealing victory. The set started with a quick 6-0 Lady Tigers run before a kill from Bednar stopped the surge. After going up 7-2, TSU went on another 6-0 stint that made it a 13-2 advantage. USI was able to get a short 3-0 run off a pair of attacking errors and a Bednar kill before the Lady Tigers tallied five of the next six points to double up on the Eagles, 23-11. USI tallied three straight points before the Lady Tigers ended the night by earning the final two points. The Eagles’ offense struggled in the last set, earning just seven kills and 10 errors off 39 total attacks to make it a negative .077 hitting percentage.
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Bednar and Anderson led the team with 13 kills each with Weber and sophomore setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) tallying 13 digs each. Koch recorded a team-high three blocks while Anderson earned a match-high four aces. Sobieralski also had a team-high 27 assists to capture her eighth double-double this season and her fourth in the last six matches.
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USI produced 35 kills, 32 assists, and four aces with 51 digs and five blocks. TSU ended the night with 55 kills, 46 assists, and 12 aces along with 69 digs and 16 blocks. The Lady Tigers’ 16 blocks are the most allowed by the Eagles this season.
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