Lady Blazers start season strong with big win over John Wood
MOBERLY, Mo. – The Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers began their 2022-23 season Friday afternoon at the Orschlen Classic at Moberly Area College.
The Lady Blazers took on John Wood Community College and came away with a strong 81-55 victory behind a very nice performance from sophomore Chanice Willis (Champaign, Ill.) who led the Blazers with 24 points.
Vincennes got off to a slow start but were able to pull away late in the first quarter to lead by six after the first 10 minutes of play.
The Blazers continued to add to their lead early in the second quarter with a 9-0 scoring run to take a 27-16 lead.
John Wood would respond but were only able to cut into the lead by three as Vincennes went into the locker room holding a 34-26 advantage.
Vincennes continued to add to their lead in the third quarter, building a 15-point lead before John Wood rallied back to cut the deficit to 10 points heading into the final quarter of play.
VU really took control of the game in the fourth quarter, pulling away late to close out the game on a 9-0 scoring run to take the season opener 81-55.
Vincennes was led by an outstanding performance by Chanice Willis, who ended her day with 24 points, 17 of which coming in the second half and a team-high five steals.
Freshman Maycee Lange (Vincennes, Ind.) had a good game in her Trailblazer debut, finishing with 14 points, three rebounds and two blocks.
Sophomore Daylynn Thornton (Lafayette, Ind.) finished with 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Sophomore Cherrelle Newsom (Indianapolis, Ind.) got the VU offense going in the first half with a pair of first quarter threes on her way to 11 points and three assists.
Freshman Elikya Baseyila (Paris, France) dominated the offensive glass, ending her first collegiate game with a team-high 11 rebounds, eight coming on the offensive glass and seven assists. Baseyila also recorded three steals and four points.
The Lady Blazers will look to continue their winning ways tomorrow, Nov. 5, when Vincennes closes out the weekend classic against Danville Area Community College. Tip-off time is scheduled for 2 p.m. eastern.
VINCENNES BOX SCORE
VINCENNES (81): Cherrelle Newsom – 4-11 0-0 11, Chanice Willis – 11-17 0-2 24, Brie Miller 2-5 0-0 4, Elikya Baseyila 2-5 0-2 4, Maycee Lange 4-9 3-4 14, Kennadi Harris 3-9 0-0 6, Daylynn Thornton 5-10 1-2 12, Elena Tzelou 1-1 0-0 2, Nyre Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Katrina Litte 0-2 0-0 0, Ra’Mya Milton 0-0 0-0 0, Najra Voloder 2-7 0-2 4, Team 34-76 4-12 81.
John Wood – 12   14  16  13 – 55
VU (1-0) – 18   16  18  29 – 81
Three-point goals: VU 9 (Newsom 3, Lange 3, Willis 2, Thornton). Rebounds: VU 43 (Baseyila 11). Assists: VU 20 (Baseyila 7). Steals: VU 16 (Willis 5). Blocked Shots: VU 3 (Lange 2). Turnovers: VU 17. Personal Fouls: VU 20. Fouled out: VUÂ – Voloder.
USI opens ’22-23 with visit to Missouri​​​​​​​
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball opens the 2022-23 regular season Monday when the Screaming Eagles visit the University of Missouri for a 7 p.m. contest. The game will be played at Mizzou Arena (ticket information) and will air live on SEC+.
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The game can also be heard on ESPN 97.7FM (http://listentotheref.com) and 95.7FM The Spin (http://957thespin.com).
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The Eagles officially begin their NCAA Division I journey after posting a 35-point win over Midway University in the squad’s only exhibition game. Sophomore Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana) led the way with a team-high 18 points, while graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) and junior guard Gary Solomon (Detroit, Michigan) followed with 17 points and 16 points, respectively.
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USI comes to Division I after posting an 18-8 overall record and 12-6 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. USI also won the GLVC East Division before advancing to the GLVC Tournament semifinals last year.
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Entering the 2022-23 season, USI has been predicted to finish seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference by the head coaches and the athletic communicators. The Eagles also were predicted to place as high as fifth in the league by Blue Ribbon Basketball Magazine.
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USI Head Coach Stan Gouard returns for his third season at the helm of the Eagles. Gouard, who is one of 49 NCAA I head coaches directing their alma mater, has compiled a 30-13 record at USI and is 234-124 as a head coach.
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The Mizzou Tigers start the 2022-23 regular season after defeating Washington University (Missouri), 89-61, Thursday evening in Columbia. Senior guard/forward Kobe Brown led the way in the exhibition win with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
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Mizzou is coming off a 12-21 overall and 5-13 Southeastern Conference mark in 2021-22. Brown also was the Tigers’ top scorer last year with 12.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest.
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USI trails the all-time series with Missouri, 2-0, with the last meeting coming in 1992-93 when the Eagles lost to the Tigers, 77-62, during former Head Coach Bruce Pearl’s first year at the helm. The Eagles also were grounded by the Tigers in the first meeting the two programs, 82-
75, in 1985-86.
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Following the quick trip to Columbia, the Eagles return to the friendly surroundings of Screaming Eagles Arena for the home opener November 13 when they host Southern Illinois University for a 3 p.m. contest.
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Three Eagles receive OVC postseason honors
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer received three postseason honors from the Ohio Valley Conference Monday. The league’s head coaches and communication directors voted upon the postseason accolades.
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It was announced that senior goalkeeper Maya Etienne (Midland, Michigan), graduate defender Elizabeth Lippert (Lexington, Kentucky), and freshman midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) were recognized by the conference for their performances in 2022.
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Between the posts, Etienne garnered All-OVC Second Team honors following a strong senior campaign for the Screaming Eagles. In 17 starts, Etienne posted seven shutouts and 73 saves, and 0.77 goals against average. She also had a .849 save percentage. In conference play alone, Etienne had the second-most saves in the OVC with 40 in conference matches. The Midland, Michigan native tallied a season-high 12 saves in the penultimate match of the regular season at Southeast Missouri State University, three off her career-high from 2019. Etienne was named OVC Goalkeeper of the Week twice during the 2022 season.
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The senior also climbed the USI record books in 2022. Etienne moved to third all-time for career saves with 308, while becoming second all-time in goals against average at 0.76. Meanwhile, Etienne also increased her career shutouts record to 36 clean sheets.
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Patrolling the defensive line, Lippert also earned All-OVC Second Team accolades, leading one of the best defensive units in USI Women’s Soccer history. The fifth-year senior helped USI to seven shutouts in 2022. Lippert and the USI defense had only 14 goals scored upon them this season, among the best goals allowed totals in program history. Plus, it cannot be forgotten that the Lexington, Kentucky native and the Screaming Eagles’ defense registered lockdown numbers in the program’s first year as an NCAA Division I program. Lippert started every match in 2022 for Southern Indiana. Getting involved in USI’s attack, Lippert also recorded one assist on the game-winning goal in the regular season finale against Eastern Illinois University, helping clinch USI’s postseason berth in their first season in the Ohio Valley Conference.
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In her freshman season with the Screaming Eagles, Murphy received All-Newcomer laurels from the OVC. Murphy started her USI career on quite a high note, leading the Screaming Eagles with five goals, 12 points, 25 shots, and 16 shots on goal. The midfielder also collected two assists and started all 17 matches. Murphy was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week early in the season after recording her first career hat trick against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on August 25. Besides being responsible for USI’s first Division-I hat trick, Murphy also scored the first goal of the Division-I era for USI Women’s Soccer, finding the back of the net for her first career goal against Winona State University on August 20. Other notable marks from Murphy’s freshman season include a streak of six straight matches at one point with a shot on goal and proving to be one of the most accurate shot-takers in the nation with a .640 shot accuracy.
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USI just concluded its 2022 season with an appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference Soccer Championship Tournament. Following a historic first season as a member of the OVC and as an NCAA Divisio
Michael Ikejiani named MVC Men’s Golfer of the Week
Junior tied for 9th place at Alabama A&M Fall Invite
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- LOUIS – An excellent week for University of Evansville junior Michael Ikejiani continued on Thursday when he was named the Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Golfer of the Week.
Ikejiani registered a 5-under 67 in Tuesday’s second round of the Alabama A&M Fall Invite. It was tied for the 4th-lowest round in school history. Just nine men’s golfers have recorded a lower round for the Purple Aces.
His efforts saw him tie for the 9th spot at the tournament with a 2-round score of 145. His final 18 holes was an 11-stroke turnaround from his first round on Monday at Robert Trent Jones at Hampton Cover in Owens Crossroads, Alabama.
Eagles Battle Eagles in Regular Season Finale​​​​​​​
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Soccer finishes their first season at the NCAA Division I level since 1994 on Saturday as they travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to take on Oral Roberts University with a 1pm kickoff.
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This match has big postseason implications for the Golden Eagles as they try to clinch the regular season title and the number one seed in the Summit League Championships.
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The Screaming Eagles earned their second victory of the season on Wednesday as the took down St. Thomas University, 2-0. It looked like it was going to be a very defensive standstill in the first half. However, with less than a minute left in the first half, St. Thomas fouled freshman Jackson Mitchell (Newburgh, Indiana) in the box to give USI a penalty kick and the Tommies were given a red card, sending them down to just 10 men. Junior Brian Winkler (Philpot, Kentucky) converted the penalty to send USI into halftime up 1-0. The Eagles continued to pressure the St. Thomas defense, forcing a miscommunication between defender and goalkeeper as the ball rolled into the net for a St. Thomas own goal, putting USI up 2-0 where they would hold out the rest of the game. Mitchell, junior Zach Barton (St. Louis, Missouri), and graduate Nick Faddis (St. Louis, Missouri) all finished with two shots as the Eagles outshot the Tommies 11-7. Junior goalkeeper Alec Meissner (St. Charles, Missouri) finished the match with his second clean sheet of the season, making four saves while facing seven shots.
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Since their return to Strassweg Field for the final time this season, USI has started to find their offensive groove over the past couple games, outscoring their opponents 3-1. In those two matches the Eagles have also taken their first penalty kicks of the season, converting on one of the two attempts. USI has had goals come from Faddis and Winkler. The defense has had the biggest impact for the Eagles over the past two matches, allowing the least number of shots in their matchup with St. Thomas and have allowed just 11 shots on goal in the two matches.
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Meissner has been outstanding in goal for USI this season, especially as of late. Allowing just three goals over their last three matches, including his second clean sheet of the season. Meissner has made 13 saves over the past three matches while facing 18 shots on goal. Besides a couple of games against the best in the league, Meissner has had an incredible season against Summit League opponents. In conference play, he has made 39 saves and averages 5.57 saves per game, both tied for first in the conference during conference matches. He has also had lots of help from his defense as well. With senior Colten Walsh (St. Louis, Missouri) and sophomore Damian McGregor-Wickham (Toronto, Canada) being key starters every match for USI, they’ve also had many others step up as well. These include sophomore Aevar Ofjord (Grindavik, Iceland) and junior Travis Sides (Evansville, Indiana) in the middle while junior Marky Lara (Evansville, Indiana), senior Luke Lindsay (Plymouth, Minnesota), and sophomore Mical Hardtman (Hamilton Parrish, Bahamas) have been playing out wide.
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Summit League Play
The Summit League opened their final week of the regular season on Wednesday. USI and Denver University both came out victorious as the Eagles took down St. Thomas, 2-0, and the Pioneers took down Lindenwood University, 4-0. That was the final game of the season for Lindenwood, finishing 3-11-1, 2-6-0 Summit League, in their first year of Division I play. The final day of the regular season is on Saturday with a full slate of games. Eastern Illinois University travels to the University of Nebraska Omaha for an early, 10:30am, kickoff. USI and Oral Roberts play an early afternoon match in Tulsa, Oklahoma with kickoff at 1pm. Western Illinois University travels to Denver. St. Thomas and the University of Missouri-Kansas City finish off the season with a night game in Kansas City, Missouri.
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Oral Roberts, Denver, and Omaha have already secured spots in the Summit League Championships. With a win over USI on Saturday, or with a Denver loss to Western Illinois, Oral Roberts would claim the regular season title. With an Oral Roberts tie or loss, Denver would claim the title with a win. UMKC currently sits in the final postseason spot, but if they lose to St. Thomas and Western Illinois beats Denver, Western Illinois will take the fourth and final seed.
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Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
The Golden Eagles come into the match with USI with a 10-3-2, 6-1-0 Summit League, record and are riding a five-game win streak. The only three losses Oral Roberts have been handed this season have come against Top 25 ranked teams (Denver, Tulsa, SMU). Oral Roberts is being led by Felipe D’Agostini this season with six goals. Shane Anderson leads the Golden Eagles with nine assists on the year, he is seventh in the nation in assists. Oral Roberts has seven players with multiple goals or assists this season. Jeremy Coste has started every game for them in net this season, allowing just 17 goals and making 56 saves while facing 194 shots.
The Golden Eagles have outscored their opponents 38-17 this season but have been outshot 195-186. Oral Roberts currently sits atop the Summit League and claims the regular season title with a win or a Denver loss to Western Illinois.
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The match between the Screaming Eagles and the Golden Eagles can be seen on the ORU Sports Network.
vehicle collision
The Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office and the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office are investigation a death that resulted at St. Joseph Ave. and Allens Ln. vehicle collision. The victim has been identified at Billy O’Dell, age 51, of Evansville. An autopsy has been scheduled for 09:00 hrs on 11/05/2022. This is to determine if a medical event or injuries from the collision caused the death. The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office can provide updates as they become available.
Volleyball set for final MVC road swing
Aces head to Missouri State and Southern Illinois
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EVANSVILLE, Ind., – Taking to the road for the final time in the 2022 regular season, the University of Evansville volleyball team will make weekend stops at Missouri State and Southern Illinois. UE opens on the road Friday evening versus the Bears in a 6PM match before heading to Carbondale for a 5PM match against the Salukis on Saturday with both matches to be carried on ESPN3.
Weekend Road Sweep
– Evansville picked up a pair of road victories over the weekend defeating Valpo and UIC
– The effort marked the third MVC weekend road sweep since UE head coach Fernando Morales took over in 2019
– Between 1994 (when UE joined the MVC) and 2018, the program had just on weekend road sweep but since Morales took over, UE has had one in three out of four seasons
New Record
– On Oct. 22, Alondra Vazquez became the all-time program kills leader, breaking Jessica Kiefer’s record of 1,706
– Vazquez officially set the record in the first set of the home contest against Drake and has continued to add to her number
– Her current tally of 1,773 kills is tied for 5th in MVC history
1) 2,293 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Lily Johnson, Missouri State, 2014-17
2) 1,948 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Lindsay Stalzer, Bradley, 2002-05
3) 1,919 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Michelle Witzke, Missouri State, 1994-97
4) 1,779          Molly O’Brien, UNI, 2000-03
5) 1,773 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Chris Rehor, Illinois State, 1985-88
    1,773         Alondra Vazquez, Evansville, 2018-
7) 1,725 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cheryl Berg, Indiana State, 1998-01
8) 1,732 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jenny Pavlas, Bradley, 1993-97
9) 1,720 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kate Galer, UNI, 1993-96
10) 1,709 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Karlie Taylor, UNI, 2016-19
– Earlier this season, Vazquez moved past Julie Groves for the most attempts in program history and now has 5,125, with Groves’ mark of 4,401 ranking second
– Groves played at UE from 1997-2000
– Vazquez also moved into the top ten in career digs with 1,470…she is currently 5th
Clutch Efforts
– Emilee Scheumann stepped up in a big way in the weekend road sweep at Valpo and UIC as she posted 2.63 kills per set while hitting an impressive .391
– She opened the week by tying her career mark with 11 kills against the Beacons before totaling 10 kills and a .529 hitting tally at UIC
– Scheumann had two more impressive efforts UE defeated Illinois State and Bradley to open the MVC slate, posting 8 kills in both matches while hitting .538 & .375, respectively
– After totaling three kills in the opening four matches, she has notched 129 kills in the last 23 contests…she averaged 0.20 kills in the first four matches but has seen that average rise to 1.45 since that time including a career-high of 11 vs. Tennessee State and at Valpo
– She has notched 4+ kills in 15 of the last 23 matches
Freshman Honor
– Kora Ruff continues to put together an extraordinary season and was rewarded for her efforts on October 31 as she was named the MVC Freshman of the Week for the first time in her career
– In the weekend road victories at Valpo and UIC, Ruff averaged 11.75 assists, 3.00 digs and 0.63 service aces
– Her season assist mark of 10.01 per set puts her fourth in the MVC while her average in conference matches is even better at 10.42/set
– Ruff’s total of 1,011 assists on the season is 7th-best in the NCAA
