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USI picks up win over Evansville, but falls to Valparaiso and IU Indy

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Indianapolis, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Women’s Swimming and Diving wrapped up its meet against Indiana University Indianapolis, the University of Evansville, and Valparaiso University with a record of 1-2 Saturday afternoon.
 
The Screaming Eagles came out on top against Evansville with a 181-105 victory. This marked their third consecutive win against the Aces dating back to last season. USI narrowly fell to Valparaiso, 153-140. IU Indy came out victorious, 203-96.
 
Freshman Hannah Pryor impressed throughout the day. She tied the USI record in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:08.10. Pryor also finished second in the 100 backstroke after a 58.95 run. She was a member of the third-place Medley Relay team, along with sophomore Emma Gabhart, sophomore Elizabeth Ketcham, and junior Caiya Cooper. The team clocked a 3:59.20.
 
USI swimmers had several top-three finishes on the day. Senior Mattilynn Smith finished third in the 1000 freestyle with a 10:58.75. Cooper grabbed third in the 200 freestyle, clocking 1:58.29. Gabhart recorded three second-place finishes: the 100 backstroke (1:07.25), the 200 backstroke (2:27.09), and the 400 individual medley (4:38.45).
 
The divers were magnificent in the meet, as sophomore Anna Bunnell finished second in both the one and three-meter dives, recording a 247.10 in the one-meter and a 2:47.65 in the three. Sophomore Gabbie Meier grabbed two top-five finishes, placing fourth in the three-meter (233.40) and fifth in the one-meter (215.20).
 
The Eagles are back in action on October 25, when they face off against Indiana State University and get a rematch against Evansville at the Deaconess Aquatic Center in Evansville, Indiana.

USI Volleyball sweeps the series against Little Rock

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EVANSVILLE, Ind.– University of Southern Indiana completed the series sweep against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in a five-set thriller Saturday afternoon. The Screaming Eagles move to 5-3 in Ohio Valley Conference play and 9-11 overall.

After the two wins against Little Rock, USI remains undefeated in OVC games in Liberty Arena.

Set 1: LR 25, USI 20
The Trojans came on strong after losing the first match on Friday night, gaining a five-point lead by the 12th point. USI fought back, putting up three team blocks and 13 digs. Freshman Aysa Thomas led the team with five assists, five digs, and two kills.

Set 2: USI 25, LR 22
The Screaming Eagles came ready to fight in the second set, maintaining a grip on the lead for the whole set. Senior Bianca Anderson made the difference for the Eagles in the set, recording six kills and four digs. Thomas dished out another 13 assists, more than doubling the Eagle kill count. Freshman Ava Carpenter made an appearance late in the set, in just her third match for the Eagles, and she recorded three kills to help swing USI’s momentum.

Set 3: USI 25, LR 21
USI had to fight back from a five-point deficit in the middle of the set, gaining the lead back after a six-point serving run from senior Keira Moore. Thomas recorded another 13 assists, helping Anderson to tally five more kills, three in a row to close out the set. Anderson tallied another five kills, leading the court.

Set 4: LR 25, USI 23
The Eagles gave up the lead midway through the set, after the Trojans put up four team blocks, forcing the Eagle offense to struggle. Thomas had her best set yet, with 15 assists, helping junior Ashby Willis to five kills and Anderson to another six. Libero Audrey Small tallied her best set with eight digs.

Set 5: USI 15, LR 10
The fifth set tiebreaker was a back-and-forth battle from the start, with five lead changes and eight tie scores. The Eagles’ defense put up another three blocks at the net to help hold the Trojan offense to its least efficient set, with a .050 hitting percentage. Willis led the USI offense with three kills. Freshmen Carpenter and Carley Wright added two kills each.

As a team, the Screaming Eagles added 13 total blocks and 81 digs to average 2.6 blocks per set and 16.2 digs per set. With 62 kills on a .207 hitting percentage, USI topped game one’s efficiency.  Anderson finished with a season-high 17 kills on just three errors, leading both sides with a .424 hitting percentage.

Three freshmen Eagles made the difference for USI in the win. OVC Freshman of the Week, Thomas, tallied 53 assists, tying her career-high, with 19 digs and three kills. Carpenter was ready when her number was called, hitting a career-high of 10 kills. Wright recorded 12 kills, six digs, and three blocks.

Next up, the Screaming Eagles are in Liberty Arena for Senior Weekend, hosting a series against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on October 24th at 6 p.m. and October 25th at 2 p.m.

 

Escudero’s Late Goal Helps Aces Earn Point at UIC, Remain Atop MVC Standings

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CHICAGO – Facing a 2-1 deficit with five minutes remaining in the match on Saturday night, Evansville’s Andres Escudero (San Sebastián de los Reyes, Spain/IES Joan Miro) netted his second goal of the night to help the Purple Aces secure a draw at UIC and remain atop the MVC table. The brace was Escudero’s third of the season, making him one of two freshman in the country with two braces this season and the first UE freshman with three braces in a season since Nacho Diaz Barragan in 2022.

The night began with both sides feeling each other out early, as neither team put a shot on goal in the first 37 minutes. Evansville’s Pablo Calvete (Ponferrada, Spain/UNIR) almost opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, but his shot went just high of the crossbar. Michal Mroz (Elk Grove, Ill./Elk Grove) was challenged for the first time in the 37th minute, collecting his first save.

Despite a quiet first 39 minutes of action, play ratcheted up quickly in the 40th minute. UIC struck first, using a header to find the night’s first goal. However, Evansville quickly pieced together an attack following the kickoff, with Calvete finding Escudero near the top of the box. From there, Escudero took a touch and ripped a left-footed strike near the penalty spot, finding the bottom left corner of the goal for his seventh goal of the season and tying the match at 1-1.

After the match went into halftime tied at one, the Flames were quick to strike in the second period, taking the lead back with a goal in the 51st minute.

Evansville searched for the equalizer throughout the next 35 minutes, tallying four shots. In the 62nd minute, Escudero nearly tied the score at two, but his shot hit both the crossbar and the far post to deny the Aces.

However, the Flames were unable to keep the Purple Aces’ freshman at bay, as Escudero collected a long ball in from Martin Wurschmidt (Stavern, Norway/Thor Heyerdahl VGS) on the left side of the six in the 85th minute and buried a shot into the bottom right corner to equalize. With the goal, Escudero became one of 12 players in the country this season with three games scoring two goals or more.

“To concede twice on the road and get ourselves back in the match showed the grit and resilience that our group has,” said Head Coach Robbe Tarver. “It’s a tough place to play and they are a good team, but the result ensures that we are still on top of the table.”

“I think it was a great college soccer game. Both teams fighting, battling, clawing for everything they could get. I think it was a really good game in terms of style.”

“We are happy to have a point. Obviously, we want more, but on the road, getting a point is a big deal.”

With the draw, Evansville moves to 4-3-7 overall and 2-0-2 in MVC play, remaining atop the conference table with eight points. Saturday’s result marks the first time since 1991 that the Aces have started conference play with four-straight results. UE returns home to Arad McCutchan Stadium on Friday to celebrate Senior Night, taking on Bradley at 6 PM.

 

Aces put up fight against UNI

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Panthers win by 3-0 final

 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Facing the top squad in the Missouri Valley Conference, the University of Evansville volleyball team put up a solid effort before falling by a 3-0 final to UNI on Saturday night inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.

Hinsley Everett led the Purple Aces with 11 kills while Josdarilee Caraballo had six. Ainoah Cruz led all players with 18 digs while Kora Ruff tallied 17 assists. Cassidy Hartman posted a match-best 12 kills to pace the Panthers.

Game 1 – UNI 25, UE 20

Early kills by Hinsley Everett and Ryan Scheu gave UE a 4-2 lead. Northern Iowa battled back to take a 7-6 lead before going up 14-7. After UNI took a 19-11 lead the Aces stormed back. Sabrina Ripple and McKenzie Laubach combined on a block to make it a 20-15 game before Laubach recorded a kill on the ensuing point to cut the deficit to four.

Josdarilee Caraballo picked up an ace that was followed by a Panther error that got Evansville even closer at 21-19. UNI regrouped and completed the set with a 25-20 win.

Game 2 – UNI 26, UE 24

Two block assists by Laubach helped the Aces open the game on a 6-1 stretch. Caraballo finished the rally off with a kill. A bad set by the Panthers extended the lead to 8-2. After that, UNI slowly made its way back as they cut the deficit to 14-12. Caraballo picked up a kill to end the stretch before an ace by Kendall Agler made it a 17-13 game.

Four in a row by the Panthers tied the game at 17-17 and the teams would go back-and-forth to the finish. After UNI went up 21-19, Everett picked up a pair of kills to tie the set. Later, Ripple’s solo block tied things up at 24-24. The Panthers had the final rally once again, posting the last two points to clinch a 2-0 lead.

Game 3 – UNI 25, UE 10

UNI took control opening a 6-1 advantage before pushing the lead to 12-4. From there they went on to win by a final of 25-10 to clinch the match.

IN WORD 120, LOVE HIM !

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Love Him! By Jerome Stewart

We hear about the love of Jesus many times throughout the bible. The things He accomplished while on earth as God in the flesh, because of the power of love should never be taken lightly. Love is a powerful weapon against adversity. Jesus  completely destroyed the hatred of those who crucified Him, when He hung, bleed and died on the cross and arose three days later from the grave, all because the Father in heaven loves us, and Jesus was an obedient Son.

The Prophet Isaiah reminds us of His sacrifice in chapter 53 vss. 4 and 5 which says; “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

Jesus came into the world to extinguish the darkness in the lives of the sinner.  There is always hope in Jesus Christ. A spirit filled transformation will occur in the lives of those who have been washed in the precious blood of Jesus. 

In Matthew chapter 19 vs. 26; Jesus responded to a very important question asked by one of His disciples who said quote; “Who then can be saved.” The question was related to the rich, which was the subject matter in the previous verses where Jesus said in verses 23 and 24; “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Jesus did not say it was wrong to be rich! 

Vss. 25 and 26 says; When His disciples heard it they were greatly astonished, saying, “who then can be saved? But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” His disciple mistakenly thought the rich had advantages over the less fortunate because of their riches.  

FYI: the salvation of Jesus Christ is free. When it comes to His salvation there are no socio-economic factors involved. Admission into the family of God is not based on ethnicity, nor gender, nor one’s level of education or lack thereof. It’s free? One condition is necessary, and that is obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

In Acts chapter 10 the Apostle Peter was at the house of Cornelius. Vss. 34 thru 36 says; Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all.” 

 

Tim Hollander to Receive 2025 Champion of Youth First Award

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EVANSVILLE, IN – Youth First will honor long-time advocate Tim Hollander at its 2025 Breakfast of Champions on Tuesday, October 21, at 7:00 am CT at Friedman Park Event Center in Newburgh. The media is invited to attend the event and is asked to RSVP to Jana Pritchett (jpritchett@youthfirstinc.org) by 5:00 pm CT on Monday, October 20.

At this annual event, Hollander will receive the Dr. William Wooten Champion of Youth First Award. Also celebrated at this highly anticipated event are Youth First donors and school partners, to whom the organization credits its growth and mission support.

Hollander, an Evansville native, currently serves as President of Toyota Canada. Before assuming this position, he was President of Toyota Indiana and General Manager of Toyota West Virginia. He is a former Youth First Board Member and currently serves on the Youth First Advisory Council.

Speakers at the 2025 Youth First Breakfast of Champions include Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry, Toyota Indiana President Jason Puckett, Youth First Founder Dr. William Wooten, and many others.

Youth First partners with school districts across Indiana to embed licensed master’s level mental health professionals in school buildings, where they support students, their families, and school personnel. Youth First Mental Health Professionals help youth navigate an ever-changing world by providing caring connections and practical coping skills to prepare them to face life’s challenges, lead productive lives, and be an active part of a thriving community. Their presence also contributes to a healthier and safer school environment by providing thousands of students with free, in-school access to professional mental health care and proven programs.

 

High schools offering college-level courses

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In 2024, I supported a law for all state high schools to offer the Indiana College Core by the 2026-2027 school year.

Established in 2012, the Indiana College Core is a block of college-level coursework in six competency areas. If successfully completed, these credit hours automatically transfer to all Indiana public colleges and universities and some private institutions. It’s the equivalent of a full year of college general education credits for little to no cost, saving time and money.
This academic year, 312 high schools are offering Indiana College Core, an increase of more than 250% from four years ago.According to recent data, over 90% of students earning the Indiana College Core in 2023 went on to attend college. This program is an incredible option for Hoosier students across the state to get a head start on college while lowering costs.

Visit MyCollegeCore.org to see participating schools and build your plan.

Sincerely,

Tim O’Brien,

State Representative
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Hoosier History Highlights

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Purple Aces Begin Three-Match Road Swing at Murray State

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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville women’s soccer team begins a three-match road swing on Sunday when they travel to Murray, Ky. to take on Murray State. Evansville enters the match in fifth place in the MVC standings with four regular season matches remaining while Murray State sits in sixth place, as both teams jockey for position in the MVC Tournament.

Last Time Out
In what was a crucial match for MVC Tournament positioning, Evansville secured a dramatic win, using a go-ahead goal from Brooklyn Robinson (West Haven, Utah/Fremont) in the 82nd minute to secure a 2-1 over Belmont on Saturday night at Arad McCutchan Stadium.

Evansville controlled play throughout the first period, beginning with shots on goal by Taylor Wehrer (Las Vegas. Nev./Desert Oasis) and Ella Hamner (Evansville, Ind./Memorial).

The Purple Aces grabbed the lead in the 24th minute, as Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind./Reitz) sent a cross into the box where it was collected by Kathryn Tyler (Dallas, Texas/Liberty Christian) on the right side of the six. From there, Tyler put up a shot that deflected off a Belmont defender and found the back of the net for the first goal of the evening.

The lead remained heading into the halftime break, but the Bruins answered in the 57th minute to level the score at one.

From there, the Aces and Bruins battled to find the winner. Finally, Evansville was able to break through in the 82nd minute, when Isa Valdez (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista) put a ball into the six for Robinson, who put a shot past a diving Belmont keeper for the go-ahead goal.

From there, the Evansville defense held strong to secure the win.

Series History 
Saturday marks the 14h all-time meeting between Evansville and Murray State. The Purple Aces lead the all-time series 7-3-3, including a 4-1-1 record in Murray. Since the Racers joined the MVC in 2022, three of four meetings have ended in ties.

USI Volleyball hands Little Rock its first OVC loss

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EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball hands University of Arkansas Little Rock its first Ohio Valley Conference loss of the 2025 season, snapping a six-game win streak. The Screaming Eagles move to 4-3 in OVC play and 8-11 overall for the season.

Set 1: USI 25, LR 20
The Screaming Eagles came out strong for the first set, maintaining the lead for the majority of the set. Aysa Thomas dished out 10 assists to get five different Eagles on the board for a kill. Junior Ashby Willis led the team with three kills, picking up seven digs in the back court, too. Sophomore Audrey Small and senior Keira Moore followed with five kills each, helping to keep Little Rock to a .061 hitting percentage.

Set 2: USI 25, LR 7
USI maintained a significant lead for the whole set, finishing with their largest margin of victory in a set for the season at 25-7. Willis completed a 10-point serving run in the middle of the set, with two aces. With 25 team digs and two total blocks, the Eagles held Little Rock to a .000 hitting percentage. Small had her best set, picking up 10 digs in the back row. Thomas held her offense to their most efficient set, with a .378 hitting percentage on 14 kills and zero errors.

Set 3: LR 25, USI 20
Little Rock came back fighting in the third, starting with a 7-0 scoring run. The Eagles tied the game up again by the 13th point, finishing with back-and-forth scoring for the rest of the set. The defense put up four blocks to try and slow the Trojan offense, but Little Rock maintained its most efficient set at a .214 hit percentage.

Set 4: USI 25, LR 23
For the final set, the Trojans and Eagles saw a hard-fought battle for the lead, tying the score 10 different times with five lead changes. Thomas dished out 10 assists, getting kills to five different Eagles. Small picked up another seven digs, leading the court. Senior Bianca Anderson led the team with four kills.

For the game, the Eagles tallied 83 digs, averaging over 20 digs per set. Small picked up 26 digs for the second game in a row to tie her season high. The team recorded 11 total blocks, the highest they’ve had since the opening OVC match at Morehead State University.

OVC Freshman of the Week, Thomas, completed her 12th double-double in a row with 35 assists, 14 digs, and managed to sneak three kills in. Three different Eagles finished with 10 kills, including Willis, Anderson, and junior Leah Coleman.

Before this game, Little Rock had won six OVC games in a row, moving to 6-1 in OVC play and 11-8 overall. The win marks the first game the Eagles have won against the Trojans since the 2023 season.

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