EVANSVILLE, Ind.- The University of Southern Indiana Volleyball has announced its schedule for the 2024 season. The Screaming Eagles kick off their third season of NCAA Division I play with three matches against St. Thomas University, Depaul University, and Bradley University on August 30-31 in Peoria, Illinois.
USI travels south on September 6-8 to take on Ohio State University, Florida University, and University of South Florida in Gainsville, Florida.
Next, the Eagles tackle the Indiana Invitational for the second straight season hosted by Indiana University. USI takes on the Hoosiers on September 13. The Eagles turn around to battle Ball State University and Chicago State University on September 14.
The home opener is set for September 21, at Screaming Eagles Arena against cross-town rival University of Evansville. USI stays at home to battle the Jaguars of Indiana University-Indianapolis on September 22 to conclude non-conference play.
“We’re excited to take the next step as a program and I believe the opportunities our Fall schedule presents us will help us get there,” says head coach Jeffrey Aucoin. “There will be many challenges throughout our non-conference schedule that will allow us to be battle tested come OVC conference play.”
Southern Indiana’s third season of Ohio Valley Conference play kicks off on September 27-28, hosting Southeast Missouri State University. USI enjoyed a nine-game conference improvement last season, reaching the OVC tournament semi-final.
“For many, last years results were a surprise, but for those in our locker room it was not. We knew what we were capable of doing and we wanted to prove it,” says Aucoin. “That “prove it” mentality is the heartbeat of this program and will continue to help us compete for championships.”
The conference slate features 18 games playing every OVC team twice with home matches against SEMO (September 27-28), University of Tennessee at Martin (October 1), Western Illinois University (October 18-19), Tennessee State University (November 8-9), and Morehead State University (November 18-19).
The OVC road slate features matches against Eastern Illinois University (October 3-4), University of Arkansas at Little Rock (October 11-12), UT Martin (October 22), Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (November 1-2), and Tennessee Tech University (November 14-15).
USI looks to compete for the OVC Tournament Championship, which takes place on November 24-26. The host site is decided upon the leagues top seed in the regular season.
