USI challenges Purple Aces in 3-1 loss

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (1-3) had an impressive showing against the University of Evansville (2-1) but was defeated by the Purple Aces on Tuesday night at Meeks Family Fieldhouse, 3-1 (25-22, 25-19, 25-23, 25-23).
 
The Screaming Eagles made a push but were tamed in the end, 25-22. The scoring started with a couple of miscues from UE and a kill from senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) that gave the Eagles their first lead of the match, 4-3. The Purple Aces went on a quick 4-0 stint after a pair of kills and aces that put USI down by three. Trailing 8-6, the Eagles witnessed another 4-0 stint that doubled UE’s lead. USI got back in the scoring column with a kill from sophomore middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) and a shared block by junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) and junior middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) to make it 12-8. The Purple Aces retaliated by scoring seven of the next 10 points to extend their advantage, 19-11. Trailing 22-14, the Eagles made a big run to make it interesting. Starting with a kill from junior Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) followed by a block and two kills from Leah Anderson, USI was within four. Despite a pair of offensive mistakes from the Eagles, they returned with another 4-0 run that was capped off with another duo of kills from Leah Anderson. UE would nab the final point to claim the victory and take a 1-0 set lead. Both sides were evenly matched on the attack with USI earning 11 kills in comparison to UE’s 13 kills.
 
The Purple Aces put up some big runs to take care of the Eagles in the second set, 25-19. USI quickly went down 9-3 in the frame after UE put up 4-0 and 3-0 surges. The Purple Aces did not stop there as they went on a 5-1 run to make it a 14-5 game. USI recovered with a 4-0 stint with the help of some UE errors and a Downing kill to make it 14-9. The Purple Aces returned the favor with five straight points that put the Eagles down by a set-high 10 points. Leah Anderson and Bianca Anderson knocked down a kill each to stop the stint while Downing added a pair of kills to cut the deficit to 21-15. Weber would nab a kill and a service ace while senior outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) tacked on a kill to make a five-point set before UE sealed the match with a kill. The Purple Aces nabbed 15 kills with just four errors and a 0.244 attacking percentage in the frame while USI had a match-low 10 kills.
 
An early lead and a late stop by USI gave the Eagles a 25-23 win in the third game. Trailing 4-3, USI went on a solid 8-0 run while scoring 10 of the 11 points to make it 11-4. During that span, Downing threw down a pair of kills while Bednar nabbed three kills to highlight the surge. The Purple Aces retaliated with six straight points that made it 13-11. USI kept holding on to the lead throughout UE’s attacks and would sit behind a 19-14 advantage with the help of a kill and block assist from junior middle blocker Lauren O’Neill (Covington, Indiana). Not going down without a fight, the Purple Aces made it a tie game after a 5-0 spurt, putting the Eagles on their heels at 19-19. Three Bednar kills lifted USI past UE and squeezed by a third-set win. USI tallied a match-high 11 kills and a 0.128 hitting percentage while holding the UE attack to just eight kills.
 
USI put up a strong effort at the end of the frame but came up shy of the win, dropping 25-23. Sobieralski started off the game with a quick kill before UE tacked on six of the next seven points to take a 6-2 lead. Back-to-back kills from Bednar and a kill from Bianca Anderson reduced the deficit to just one. The Purple Aces added three straight points then another four straight to make it 14-8. The Eagles took advantage of three offensive errors from UE and put up a 5-1 run. Down 17-13, USI went on a surge by scoring six of the next seven points to regain the lead. However, UE quickly took control and scored three more to recapture a 21-19 advantage. Despite knotting it up at 23, the Eagles could not stop back-to-back kills from the Purple Aces and dropped their third match of the season.
 
Three Eagles posted double-doubles in the loss. Bednar recorded 15 kills with 12 digs while Leah Anderson paired 12 kills with 12 digs. Sobieralski took the reins in the passing game with 39 assists to go along with 16 digs. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) tacked on a team and career-high 17 digs while Downing recorded a career-high seven blocks.
 
As a team, the Eagles had 47 kills, a season-high of 76 digs and 13 blocks to go along with four aces and 42 assists. The Purple Aces put up 52 kills, 83 digs, and 47 assists with nine aces and 15 blocks.
 
NEXT UP FOR THE EAGLES:
The Eagles go back to tournament play this weekend at the Bellarmine Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky. USI will face a trio of opponents including Murray State University (9:00 a.m.) and Bellarmine University (6:30 p.m.) on Friday before challenging the University of New Orleans (11:00 a.m.) on Saturday.