Immaculate third set helps Eagles get past Tigers

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (8-9, 4-2 OVC) had a near-perfect third frame to propel the Screaming Eagles to a 3-1 (26-24, 25-21, 25-7, 25-21) win against Tennessee State University (2-12, 2-2 OVC) at Kean Hall on Saturday. USI put up 14 kills with no attacking errors in the third to gain momentum over the Lady Tigers and ultimately lead to their second-straight weekend sweep over an Ohio Valley Conference opponent.

The Eagles had a late comeback but fell short against TSU in the opening game, 26-24. USI got an early 4-2 lead after kills from junior outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) and junior middle blocker Lauren O’Neill (Covington, Indiana) until the Tigers scored four straight points off four kills to take a 6-4 advantage. TSU continued to roll on offense and would hold their largest lead of the set, 19-12. The Eagles got a few back after a kill from senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) and a pair of TSU miscues. Down 23-18, USI fought back and scored six of the next seven points to knot it up at 24 apiece. The surge started with a kill from Anderson and an ace from sophomore libero/defensive specialist Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) before a kill from senior outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) completed the comeback. However, the Tigers’ offense went out on a high note and tallied back-to-back kills to take the opening set win. Even though USI had 11 kills, three aces, and five blocks, it was TSU’s 20 first-set kills that stole the show.
 
A more evenly-match contest resulted in a 25-21 victory for the Eagles. The Tigers came out swinging with a 4-0 run before USI returned the favor with three straight points with kills from Anderson and Bednar. Trailing 7-4, the Eagles used a 5-0 gain to take a 9-7 advantage. During the run, Bednar tacked on a kill and a pair of aces while Weber nabbed a kill. USI continued with a 6-0 stint to take a 15-8 lead after four Tigers’ errors, an ace from Weber, and an Anderson kill. Down by seven, TSU turned on the jets and scored four straight points to cut the deficit to 18-15. Both sides traded blows until USI ultimately took home the win. Both teams secured double-digit kills but it was the Eagles’ three aces and three blocks that lifted USI over TSU.
 
It was a near-perfect offensive attack from the Eagles in the third set that resulted in a dominating 25-7 win. Leading 6-3, USI quickly escalated and scored nine of the next 10 points to make it 15-4. The Eagles earned seven kills and an ace during the stint. Even though TSU stopped that run, USI nabbed another large gain, this time scoring seven of the next eight points to take a 22-5 advantage. The surge started with four straight kills split between Bednar and Anderson. The Eagles ended the Tigers’ woes after a kill from junior middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) sealed the deal. USI’s offense had 14 kills with no attacking errors to earn a .667 hitting percentage to shift the momentum the Eagles’ way. The defensive side held strong, allowing five kills and forcing five errors.
 
Big runs from both sides went in favor of USI as the Eagles defeated the Tigers in the fourth frame, 25-21. USI held a solid 10-3 run that started with a kill and ace from junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) and ended with a pair of kills from sophomore middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois). TSU quickly turned around and scored five of the next six points to cut the deficit to three. Back-to-back kills from Sobieralski and Leah Anderson extended the lead before the Tigers came back to life and made it 14-12. With an 18-17 advantage, Weber scored a kill and ace with Leah Anderson nabbing another kill to help make it a 22-17 game. However, TSU stormed back and made it a one-point match after scoring four straight points. Despite the late push from the Tigers, the Eagles secured the win after two kills and a bad set from TSU. USI put up a match-high five aces in the final frame.   
 
Leah Anderson recorded her eighth-straight double-digit kills night after earning a match-high 19 kills while Bednar followed up with 14 kills. Leah Anderson also led both sides with three aces and six blocks. Bednar matched the aces count with three while Weber and Moore each nabbed two aces. Moore also earned a match-high 15 digs while Weber closed out the double-digit digs with 11. Sobieralski once again dominated the passing game with her second-straight 40-assist match, totaling 41 in the win.
 
As a team, the Eagles produced 50 kills, 45 assists, and 12 aces to go with 51 digs and 11 blocks. The Tigers ended the match with 49 kills, 43 assists, and one ace with 53 digs and six blocks. This was just the fourth time USI has passed the 50-kill threshold and the most points scored in a match this season with 73 points.
 
NEXT UP FOR THE EAGLES:
The Eagles head back to Screaming Eagles Arena next weekend to host Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for a pair of OVC matches on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Friday’s match will be Dig Pink Night while Saturday’s match will be Mental Health Awareness Day.  
 
SIUE leads the head-to-head record over USI since 2000, going 13-8 with seven straight victories over the Eagles. Last season, the Cougars won both conference matches by winning 3-2 and 3-1 in Edwardsville, Illinois.