EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana opens Ohio Valley Conference play at Screaming Eagles Arena against the preseason conference favorite Southeast Missouri State on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m.
USI invites all professors and teachers to come out for teachers’ appreciation weekend. Fans, we ask if you could bring school supplies to donate to Dawn Bunner’s fourth grade classroom of Corpus Christi grade school. Corpus Christi’s wish list is attached above.
Coverage
Both matches were broadcasted on ESPN+ at the links above, along with in game updates on @USIAthletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Live Stats are also available at the links above. Tickets are free courtesy of ProRehab.
USI Headlines
Three-Game Win Streak Notes. USI three wins last week marked the first time in the DI era, the program has earned three wins in one week. The Eagles outscored their opponents in kills (171-132), assists (160-126), digs (222-178), and attacking percentage (.268-.163).
UE Round 1 Win Recap. Last week, marked a special stretch as USI won three games in one week for the first time as a NCAA Division I program. The Eagles also beat University of Evansville and IU Indy for the first times as DI programs. USI started the week winning round one of two against the Aces on Tuesday night, 3-1. The win marked the first over UE as NCAA Division I programs. USI rattled off three straight set victories after falling behind. The Eagles outscored the Aces 75-58 after the first frame loss dominating in all facets.
Friday vs. UE Recap. The Eagles earned a gritty five-set win on Friday night against UE (23-25, 25-14, 21-25, 25-11, 15-9). USI attacked the Purple Aces as a team similar to Tuesday night’s match, with five different Eagles notching double-digit kills from sophomore Ashby Willis (14), sophomore Leah Coleman (12), junior Bianca Anderson (15), senior Paris Downing (10), and senior Jasmine Green (15). Senior setter Carly Sobieralski shinned on the big stage once again with a season-high 57 assists and a new career high of 25 digs. Despite the close match, USI dominated the stat sheet winning in kills (72-47), assists (67-46), digs (94-78), blocks (8-5) and hitting percentage (.274-.114).
Attendance Record Notes. Friday marked a record setting Screaming Eagles Arena crowd for Volleyball at 824 raucous fans as the previous stadium record was 375 against EIU last year. The 200 free t shirts upon arrival were gone within five minutes and the poster signing post-game was a success distributing over 100 posters to the Evansville community.
Saturday’s Sweep. The Eagles frustrated IU Indianapolis in a three-set sweep to win the USI Invitational (25-21, 25-21, 25-17). The match did not reveal any significant statistical differences. However, time and time again USI seemed to grab the clutch points, denying the Jaguars of amounting any significant runs. Coleman led the Eagles with 11 kills, while Sobieralski tallied 34 assists, finishing the weekend with 142.
Four-Time OVC Setter of the Week. Sobieralski was phenomenal all week with 142 assists and 49 digs. She set her offense up with an impressive hitting percentage of .268 in the three matches. The honor marks her fourth Ohio Valley Conference Setter of the Week in her career.
OVC Preseason Poll. The Eagles were predicted to finish sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference in the 2024 preseason poll, which was voted by OVC head coaches’ and their respective communicator. The league has the potential to be even from top to bottom after six different teams received first-place votes in the poll. Southeast Missouri State was projected to finished first.
About SEMO. The Redhawks challenged themselves as well in the non-conference slate with multiple high-powered programs such as St. Louis University, Ole Miss, Missouri State University, Eastern Kentucky University, Arkansas State University, etc. SEMO finished the slate 3-8 with wins against Austin Peay State University, Lehigh University, and University of Wisconsin Green Bay. However, the Redhawks have fallen in three tight fifth-set losses against Middle Tennessee State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Missouri State University. Lucy Arndt was selected to the 2024 Preseason All-OVC Team after her strong 2023 campaign. The sophomore ranks third all-time in SEMO volleyball history in single season kills after registering 346 a season ago. She’s first in kills in 2024 at 125. Transfer right side hitter Abby Johnson from Bradley University has added to the offense with 123 kills giving the Redhawks a two-headed monster.
2024 OVC Preseason Poll
1. Southeast Missouri (6) – 167
2. Eastern Illinois (5) – 164
3. Morehead State (5) – 163
4. Tennessee Tech (4) – 153
5. Lindenwood (1) – 145
6. Southern Indiana – 97
7. UT Martin – 84
8. SIUE (1) – 83
9. Western Illinois – 74
10. Little Rock – 51
11. Tennessee State – 29
