EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (1-19, 1-8 OVC) will travel to Little Rock, Arkansas for a battle against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (4-18, 1-8 OVC) Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. at Jack Stephens Center. The Screaming Eagles and Trojans are both first-year Ohio Valley Conference members and look to keep their postseason hopes alive as they sit in the final two spots of the standings with only the top eight teams making the conference tournament.
 
Game Coverage
Information about USI Volleyball, including live stats, video, and audio broadcasts, is available on USIScreamingEagles.com. 
 
Tickets
Tickets to the USI, Little Rock volleyball match are $7 for general admission. You can purchase tickets online by following this link.
 
Screaming Eagles Headlines:
Eagles Outsoard by Redhawks. The Screaming Eagles lost both matches against Southeast Missouri State last weekend. On the bright side, USI put up 40 or more kills and 30 or more assists in both matches.

You Have To #OVCit. The Eagles are set to face Ohio Valley Conference newcomer, Little Rock, this weekend in Little Rock, Arkansas. This will be the first match between the two programs.

History in the Making. With junior Leah Anderson becoming the 15th player to reach 1,000 kills, her new goal is to become the 13th player to reach the 1,000-dig plateau (992). If successful, Anderson would become the fifth player in program history to reach both milestones. She will join a historic group that includes Shannon Wells, Jamie Roth, Danielle Peter, and Leeanne Gross in the 1,000 kills/1,000 digs club.

Season Leaders. Anderson leads the group with 208 kills and 15 aces as junior Katherine Koch holds a team-high 341 assists. On defense, freshman Keira Moore has received 259 digs as sophomore Paris Downing has earned 60 blocks.

OVC Leaders. There are four Eagles who sit atop the best in five different categories within the OVC individual standings. Anderson ranks eighth in points (241.5) and kills (208) while Koch holds sixth most assists per set (6.31). Moore has tallied 259 digs and 3.92 digs per set, putting her at seventh, while Downing is sixth with 1.03 blocks per set.

Digging Out. The Eagles’ defense is third in the conference with 15.42 digs per set. USI also is fifth in total digs with 1,110.

Level 200. Anderson is the lone Eagle to reach 200 kills this season. She is one of nine OVC players to have accumulated 200 kills.

Keeping it 100. Three Eagles have reached the 100-kill club this season. Anderson leads the pack with 208, sophomore Abby Bednar has 167, and sophomore Abby Weber has 153.

Double-Doubles. There have been six Eagles who have reached the double-double mark this season. Anderson leads the team with eight while sophomore Carly Sobieralski has earned five. Koch has tallied four while Weber has recorded three. Bednar has nabbed two while sophomore Evie Duncan earned one.

USI by the Set. This season, the Eagles have accumulated four opening set wins compared to winning 11 sets between frames two through five. USI has lost in the third set 16 times and lost in the fourth set seven times. The Eagles are 0-3 in the fifth frame.

About Little Rock. The Trojans are 4-18 overall and 1-8 in the OVC after winning their first conference match against Morehead State on 10/14, 3-2. Little Rock’s defense at the net has been stellar, ranking first in the conference and 69th in NCAA I with 2.34 blocks per set and second in the OVC and 32nd in NCAA I with 180.5 total blocks. The Trojans will face Southeast Missouri State Tuesday night at home before facing the Eagles.

Leading the Trojans. Junior Zanobia Willis sits second in the conference with 1.17 blocks per set and third with 81 total blocks. Leading the passing game is freshman Gabrielle Spankus who is fourth in the OVC with 7.19 assists per set while freshman Daedrianna Cail stands in fourth with a .300 hitting percentage to lead Little Rock. The Trojans’ roster consists of nine freshmen and three sophomores with just four upperclassmen.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball team is predicted to place seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference, as voted by the league’s 10 head coaches and athletic communications directors in a poll released today. The Screaming Eagles also have been picked fifth by Blue Ribbon Magazine and eighth by Lindy Basketball Magazine.
 
The Eagles, who received 78 points in the preseason poll, enter their first season of NCAA Division I play looking to build off last season’s 18-8 record during the final season in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
 
Morehead State University is predicted to win the conference, earning 138 points and seven first place votes. Tennessee State University followed with 130 points and two first place votes, while the University of Tennessee Martin rounded out the top three with 120 points and seven first place votes.
 
USI senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) was the Eagles’ lone representative on the Preseason All-OVC team. Simmons averaged 14.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
 
Senior forward Jacob Polakovich, who will join the team in December after recovering from an ankle injury, averaged 11.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game in 2021-22. Polakovich, who had 11 double-doubles last year, leading the GLVC and ranked fourth nationally in rebounding. 
 
The Eagles also are tipping off 2022-23 campaign under leadership of Head Coach Stan Gouard. Gouard has compiled a 234-124 record as a head coach (30-13 at USI; 204-112 at UIndy). The 2020 NCAA II Midwest Region Coach of the Year also produced a 162-89 record in GLVC action (23-10 at USI; 139-79 at UIndy).
 
USI Men’s Basketball opens the 2022-23 campaign with an exhibition game November 2 versus Midway University and opens the regular season November 7 at the University of Missouri. The regular season home opener is November 13 when Southern Illinois University visits Screaming Eagles Arena.
 
The complete 2022 OVC Preseason Poll (first-place votes):
 
  1. Morehead State (7 first-place votes) 138
  2. Tennessee State (2) 130
  3. UT Martin (7) 120
  4. Southeast Missouri (2) 115
  5. SIUE (2) 111
  6. Little Rock 102
  7. Southern Indiana 68
  8. Tennessee Tech 62
  9. Eastern Illinois 31
10. Lindenwood 23
 

Haithcock selected for the preseason All-OVC squad

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball is projected to place seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference in a vote submitted by the league’s head coaches and communication directors. USI heads into its first season as an OVC member and NCAA Division I program.
 
The 10-team OVC will feature a schedule with each team playing each other twice for an 18-game conference schedule from December 29, 2022, through February 25, 2023. The conference’s season concludes with the OVC Basketball Championship Tournament taking place at Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana March 1-4, 2023.
 
Tennessee Tech University topped the OVC preseason poll with 147 points and 11 first-place votes. The University of Tennessee at Martin was picked second with 134 points and four first-place votes. The University of Arkansas-Little Rock, one of three new members in the OVC this season, also received four first-place votes and picked up 129 points for a third-place finish.
 
Eastern Illinois University was picked fourth with 115 points, and Tennessee State was selected fifth with 95 points and one first-place vote. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is picked sixth with 83 points while Southern Indiana earned 66 points for seventh place. Southeast Missouri State University (61), Lindenwood University (33), and Morehead State University (33) round out the poll.
 
As part of the OVC’s preseason announcement, senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio) represented USI on the 2022-23 Preseason All-OVC Women’s Basketball Team. Coming off a terrific junior season in 2021-22, Haithcock averaged 12.3 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game, and shot 46.7% (135-289) from the floor. She also connected at the free throw line at an 80.5% (66-82) clip. Haithcock made 13 starts in 28 appearances on her way to earning second-team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference accolades for a second consecutive season.
 
Last season, Haithcock scored in double-figures 20 times, increasing her career total to 48 such performances. She had a pair of double-doubles and two 20-plus games, matching a career-high 22 points in back-to-back contests midway into the conference season. She led the team in scoring in 11 of USI’s 29 games last year. She helped USI to a 23-6 overall record, a 16-2 conference record, a GLVC regular season championship, and an appearance in the 2022 NCAA Division II Midwest Region Tournament.
 
Haithcock enters the 2022-23 season 26^th all-time at USI in career scoring (823) and 33^rd all-time in career rebounding (374).

The 2022-23 USI Women’s Basketball squad features returning players in 14 of 15 roster spots and begins its 24^th season under Head Coach Rick Stein, who has a 411-237 record leading the last 23 years. The three-time GLVC Coach of the Year earned his 400^th career win last January and led the Screaming Eagles to the GLVC regular season championship en route to the program’s 12^th NCAA Division II Tournament selection.
 
Alongside Haithcock, USI has their main frontcourt trio back in the fold this season as the team’s returning leading scorers. Junior forward Meredith Raley (Haubstadt, Indiana) and graduate student Ashlynn Brown (Perrysburg, Ohio) also headline USI’s post presence after averaging 11.8 points per game and 9.2 points per game, respectively. Raley also grabbed a team-high 5.2 rebounds per game, which finished just ahead of Brown’s 5.0 caroms per contest. Sharp-shooting senior guard Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) leads the USI backcourt once again this season, coming off a 2021-22 season in which she shot 43.9% (47-107) from three. Blackwell averaged 9.2 points per game, pulled down 3.1 rebounds per game, and totaled 54 assists last season. Raley, Brown, and Blackwell also earned All-GLVC honors a season ago.
 
USI gets the 2022-23 season rolling on November 7 at 6 p.m. against Oakland City University from Screaming Eagles Arena, starting their season with a pair of home games that week. The first OVC matchup for the Screaming Eagles is on December 29 when USI hosts Southeast Missouri.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Soccer heads on the road for back-to-back matches starting with a flight to Denver, Colorado to take on the University of Denver on Wednesday, October 18 at 8pm (CDT). The Screaming Eagles then head to St. Charles, Missouri to take on familiar foe in Lindenwood University for the second time this season on Sunday, October 23, with kickoff at 2pm. USI will then return home for their final homestand of the season with matches against Western Illinois University and the University of St. Thomas.
 
USI had an extended break from play this past week. Having 11 days between matches. The break will try to boost the Eagles back into form, coming off two losses following their first win of the season at Eastern Illinois University. The Eagles had been outscored in their last two matches, 6-1, and have allowed 44 shots. With a tough matchup with the 8th ranked Pioneers looming on Wednesday, the Eagles have a favorable schedule to look forward to after. USI’s next three opponents have a combined five wins on the season, and each have just one conference win on the year. The Eagles will face Lindenwood for the second time this season. The Lions were victorious when these two met on September 16 at Strassweg Field in a non-conference match, 2-1. USI will then host two new opponents in Western Illinois and St. Thomas.
 
USI has been trying to find that consistent goal scorer up front all season. The Eagles have three players leading the team with two goals this season. Nick Faddis (St. Louis, Missouri), Sam Benoist (Foristell, Missouri), and Ryan Nevins (St. Peters, Missouri) lead the team in goals while Faddis is one of four Eagles with two assists this season. Zach Barton (St. Louis, Missouri) has been the head man up front for USI, playing 12 games and starting 10. Barton leads the team with 18 shots and 11 shots on goal but has scored just one goal.
 
The USI defense has been one of the talking points this year. The defensive line is what has been keeping this team in so many games. In eight of the teams 12 matches this season they have allowed two goals or less. With the main stays of Colten Walsh (St. Louis, Missouri), Travis Sides (Evansville, Indiana), and Damian McGregor-Wickahm (Toronto, Canada), the team has gone seven of their last eight matches allowing two or less. Only recently has the team allowed double digit shots on goal, allowing double digits in their last three matches. The Eagles have been struggling to find that final defender to fit in. Marky Lara (Evansville, Indiana) looked like the man for the job but recently we’ve seen Head Coach Mat Santoro mix it up with the likes of Aevar Ofjord (Grindavik, Iceland) and Luke Lindsay (Plymouth, Minnesota) getting starts.
 
Junior Alec Meissner (St. Charles, Missouri) has been the main man in goal for the Eagles this season. Meissner has starting in 11 of the 12 games this season. He has allowed 23 goals and has made 47 saves while facing 144 shots. Meissner was also the man in net when USI earned a shutout against the University of Evansville earlier this season. Freshman Giancarlo Varano (Woodbridge, Canada) looked like another one to throw their name in the hat early in the season, starting against Norther Kentucky University and coming on against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Varano has allowed four goals and has made nine saves while facing 20 shots.