USI falls to Oakland 3-0, Kent State 3-0

KENT, Ohio – University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (0-5, 0-0 OVC) completed its first day of the Kent State Invitational Friday night, suffering a 3-0 (23-25, 14-25, 20-25) loss to Oakland University (2-2, 0-0 HL) before stumbling against Kent State University (3-1, 0-0 MAC), 3-0 (18-25, 15-25, 22-25).
 
USI vs. Oakland
The opening set saw a lot of positives for the Eagles despite falling 25-23 to the Golden Grizzlies. USI threw down a set-high 14 kills and one ace. Sophomore outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) led the team with five kills and a .250 hitting percentage.
 
Oakland kept the momentum and gained a 2-0 lead after a 25-14 prominent set two victory over USI. The Grizzlies played an error-free set, tallying 13 kills off 20 attempts with no attack errors. However, the Eagles were able to secure eight kills and two aces in the frame. Junior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) recorded four kills and one ace in the second set.
 
USI drew an early 7-5 lead before watching Oakland take it away, falling 25-20 in the final frame. Sophomore middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) knocked down one of her four kills to give the Eagles a two-point advantage before the Grizzlies stormed back to steal the lead and never look back. USI put up its best numbers in the third frame, nabbing 13 kills with a team-low three attack errors.
 
The Eagles were led offensively by Bednar, who tallied a match-high 10 kills and marked her second double-figure match of the 2022 campaign. Anderson was one kill away from securing her first double-double of the season, finishing with nine kills and 14 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) also provided significant numbers for USI, recording six kills and 11 digs. Leading the passing game was junior outside/right side hitter/setter Katherine Koch (Belleville, Illinois) who had 23 assists. Downing led the group on the front lines with three blocks.
 
As a team, the Eagles finished the match with 35 kills and a .187 attacking percentage along with 33 assists, three blocks, and 46 digs. USI also tallied a season-high five service aces. The Grizzlies completed the match with 40 kills and a .293 hitting percentage while tallying 40 assists, six blocks, and 53 digs. Oakland also recorded seven service aces, most given up by the Eagles this season.
 
USI vs. Kent State
Three 4-0 runs put together by Kent State leads to a 25-18 opening frame loss for USI. The Eagles started off the set with a 2-1 lead before the Golden Flashes struck, going on three 4-0 runs to hoist itself to victory. USI struggled on the offensive end, collecting just eight kills and a .025 hitting percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Abby Weber finished the set with three kills and four digs.
 
Continued offensive struggles burdened the Eagles in set two, leading to a 25-15 loss. USI took the opening point off a sophomore outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar kill before Kent State went on a 13-3 surge to put itself in control, 13-4. The Eagles managed to get key points from a pair of Flashes’ errors and an ace from junior outside/right side hitter/setter Katherine Koch, but it was not enough as Kent State finished the set on a 5-1 run. USI had a negative .174 attacking percentage in the second set with three kills and seven attacking errors. The Flashes took advantage of the Eagles’ offensive woes, nabbing 13 kills and a .267.
 
The third and final frame began with a 3-0 Kent State stint and ended with a 25-22 Flashes’ victory as the Eagles lose its twelfth straight set this season. Weber was able to get three early kills for USI to tie it at four apiece before Kent State stormed back with another 3-0 run to retake the lead. The Eagles fired back with back-to-back kills from freshman middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) and Weber to pull within a couple. With the help of a trio of Flashes’ errors and a Bednar ace, USI regained the lead, 12-11. After two impactful 5-0 surges, Kent State controlled the lead before the Eagles’ made a final threat, going on a 4-0 run before the Flashes’ sealed it.
 
Weber was two kills shy of a double-double, finishing the match with eight kills and 15 digs to lead USI. Koch, Weber, and junior libero/defensive specialist Audrey Crowder (Avon, Indiana) each served one ace while Downing threw down a team-high five blocks. Koch was the leading passer for the Eagles’, dishing out 15 assists.
 
As a team, USI ended the match with a season-low 21 kills and .030 hitting percentage. The Eagles finished with only 20, but nabbed four aces, 53 digs, and eight blocks.
 

Final round set for Saturday

 

MUNCIE, Ind. – Ranking in 14^th place following the opening round of the Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational, the University of Evansville men’s golf team jumped five positions in the second round to stand in a 9^th place tie at Delaware Country Club.

In the first 18 holes, the Purple Aces scored a 309 before a complete team effort saw the score drop 24 strokes to a 286 in the second round.  Leading the way for UE is Nicholas Gushrowski.  He carded a 75 to open play before shooting an even 70.  His 145 is tied for 17^th.

Two behind him was Carson Parker, who had a consistent 36 holes.  Parker began with a 73 and completed the second round with a 74.  With a 147, Parker is tied for 29^th.  Michael Ikejiani was third on the team.  He made Evansville’s second-largest jump in between rounds.  Ikejiani scored a 79 before his final 18 holes finished with a 71.  With a 150, he is tied for 50^th.

Making his debut at UE, Luke Schneider had one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the field on Friday.  Schneider opened the day with an 85 before lowering his score all the way to a 70 in the second round.  With a 155, he is tied for 66^th.  Caleb Wassmer was next for UE.  He also had a nice drop in his score, going from an 82 to a 75.

Wright State holds the team lead with a 2-round score of 560.  The Raiders are five on top of Ball State and 21 strokes in front of a third-place tie.  The Purple Aces are tied for 9^th in the team standings with a 594.  They are seven behind 8^th-place Marshall.

Dayton’s Jacob Garland paces the individual leaderboard.  Rounds of 71 and 67 put him on top with a 138.  He is one in front of a 2^nd-place tie.

The final 18 holes are set for Saturday morning.

Aces complete tournament on Saturday

 COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Day one of the Golden Eagle Invitational saw the University of Evansville volleyball team drop contests against Western Carolina and Northwestern.  The Purple Aces look to finish the weekend on a winning note on Saturday when they face Tennessee Tech at 2 p.m.

MATCH 2 – Northwestern 3, UE 1

 Leading the way with 18 kills was Giulia Cardona.  Melanie Feliciano and Emilee Scheumann followed with 10 and 9 kills, respectively.  Kora Ruff topped the team with 11 digs while Blakely Freeman had 10.  Ruff led UE with 35 assists.

 

Set 1 – UE 25, NU 19

Giulia Cardona and Melanie Feliciano recorded 6 and 5 kills, respectively, to push the Purple Aces to a win in the first set.  Northwestern had the momentum early in the set, going up by as many as five points at 13-8.  Three in a row, including an ace by Kora Ruff, cut the deficit to a pair.

Trailing 15-13, UE reeled off seven in a row to take control. Pinpoint serving from Laura Ruiz set the Aces up while Cardona and Feliciano added kills during the run.  Evansville never let the Wildcats back in it, finishing with a 25-19 win with Ruff and Hannah Watkins clinching with a block assist.

Set 2 – NU 25, UE 19

It was Northwestern jumping out to a 7-4 lead in the early going before Feliciano added an ace and Cardona registered two kills in a 4-0 stretch that gave UE its first lead at 8-7.  Scoring 8 of the next 11 points, the Wildcats saw things swing in their favor, going up 16-10.

Evansville refused to give in.  Down 18-12, UE stormed back with six in a row to tie it up.  Two more Feliciano kills highlighted the sequence.  Northwestern regained its composure and finished the frame on a 7-2 run to knot the match with a 25-19 win.

Set 3 – NU 25, UE 14

Early on, it was the Aces who jumped out in front, scoring the first three points.  Still in front by a 5-3 score, the Aces saw the Wildcats post six tallies in a row to jump on top 9-5.  The run continued for Northwestern, who extended their run to take a 14-6 advantage before winning by a 25-14 score.

Set 4 – NU 25, UE 15

Just as they did in the third game, Evansville led early in the fourth.  Maddie Hawkins registered an ace as UE took a 6-2 lead.  Northwestern rallied to tie it up at 7-7 and would clinch the match with a huge finish.  After falling behind, the Wildcats completed the set by outscoring UE, 23-9, to win the match.

 MATCH 1 – Western Carolina 3, UE 0

 Melanie Feliciano had 14 kills and hit .542, but a 13-kill effort by Bailey Hartsough lifted Western Carolina to a 3-0 win in Friday’s Golden Eagle Invitational opener.  Giulia Cardona added 10 kills and two ace.  Feliciano and Blakeley Freeman tied for the team lead with eight digs while Kora Ruff had 33 assists.

 Set 1 – WCU 25, UE 16

Western Carolina jumped out to a 9-3 lead right out of the gate, completing the stretch on a 5-0 run.  Melanie Feliciano ended the rally with a kill before a solo block from Madisyn Steele and a service ace by Giulia Cardona got UE within a pair at 9-7.

Evansville stayed within striking distance over the middle stretch of the set, but a late Catamount run proved to be the dagger.  Up 20-16, WCU scored the final five points to clinch the set by a 25-16 final.

 Set 2 – WCU 25, UE 22

Kills by Emilee Scheumann and Hannah Watkins helped Evansville go up 3-0 before Western Carolina made its first run of the set, scoring five out of six points to go up 5-4.  Four Feliciano kills, coupled with two from Steele, spearheaded a 6-1 run that turned a 5-4 deficit into a 10-6 lead.

After the Catamounts used an ace to cut their deficit to 12-10, UE countered with four in a row to take its largest lead.  Scheumann and Watkins combined on a block to highlight the run.  The Aces looked to be in good shape when another Feliciano kill pushed the lead to 18-12, but the Catamounts stormed back.  Six scores in a row knotted the score at 18-18 and the run set the stage for an exciting finish.  Evansville took four 1-point leads, but WCU had the answer each time and with the score tied at 22-22, the Catamounts posted the final three points to take the set along with a 2-0 match lead.

Set 3 – WCU 25, UE 18

Blakeley Freeman picked up a service ace to lift the Aces to a 2-0 lead before the Catamounts responded to go up 4-3.  A 9-1 Western Carolina stretch saw them overcome a 3-1 deficit to take a 10-4 lead.

Facing an early hole, Evansville chipped away at the lead as a block assist from Kora Ruff and Madisyn Steele got UE back within a pair at 12-10.  Unfortunately, WCU regained control to go back up by five at 16-11 before pulling away to clinch the match with a 25-18 decision.