EVANSVILLE, Ind. –University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (13-15, 9-8 OVC) earned a gritty 3-1 victory (25-21, 29-27, 29-27, 25-22) over the University of Tennessee at Martin (8-19, 6-11 OVC) at Screaming Eagles Arena on Wednesday night. The win punches the Screaming Eagles’ ticket to the Ohio Valley Conference Championships starting on Monday, November 20.
USI squeezes past UT Martin in the opening frame, 25-21. The Skyhawks began the match with an early 6-5 lead until an Eagles’ 3-0 stint switched the score. Senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) kicked off the run with a kill followed by kills from junior middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) and junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana). UT Martin quickly flipped the script with a 5-0 run to make it 11-8. Once again, USI changed course and regained the lead after three attacking errors from the Skyhawks. The Eagles were able to push their lead further after a big ace from Sobieralski to make it 21-18. Even though UT Martin brought it within a couple, USI got the win after a set-sealing kill from senior outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio). The Skyhawks won the kills margin over the Eagles, 17-14, but it was their eight errors that proved costly. USI also threw down four blocks in the frame to complement their attack.
The Eagles played their longest set of the season but were able to take away the Skyhawks’ chances in the second frame, 29-27. USI jumped out to a massive 10-3 lead after posting six kills. Sophomore middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) secured three kills during the run. The Eagles controlled the lead at 21-16 until a long Skyhawks surge changed the momentum. UT Martin scored eight of the next 10 points to take a 24-23 lead. USI was able to get back in it with back-to-back kills from Bianca Anderson and junior outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) to retake the lead, but the Skyhawks never gave up and took a 27-26 advantage. With the game on the line, the Eagles drew luck from a pair of UT Martin attacking errors plus a powerful kill from Leah Anderson to close out the frame. The Eagles posted a match-high 19 kills in the set off 61 attempts.
UT Martin returned the favor and took down USI, 29-27, in the third. The Skyhawks put up an early 10-6 advantage before the Eagles pulled within one after repeating kills from Leah Anderson. USI took its first lead of the set after posting a 7-2 run to make it 18-16. Bednar and Weber scored back-to-back kills to kick off the surge before Bianca Anderson and Leah Anderson capped off the run with a pair of kills. Despite trailing 22-20, the Skyhawks turned the table with a 3-0 stint that gave them a 23-22 advantage. The Eagles were able to regain the lead and stand a point away from victory until the Skyhawks pounded three kills to cap off the game and steal the win. UT Martin tallied a match-high 23 kills and a 0.250 hitting percentage while USI totaled 18 kills with a 0.241 hitting percentage. Both sides also tacked on three blocks each.
USI won a nail-biter in the final frame, 25-22. The Eagles and Skyhawks were neck-and-neck until a 5-0 USI run made it a 17-14 game. UT Martin was able to recover off a couple of USI miscues, but the Eagles went on a big 6-0 surge that extended the lead to 23-16. Down but not out, the Skyhawks tallied six straight points to cut the deficit and pull within one. However, a kill from Leah Anderson and a UT Martin attacking error capped off the set and handed USI the victory. The Eagles pulled away with 14 kills compared to the Skyhawks’ 11 kills.
Leah Anderson had another dominating performance with 19 kills and a season-high 25 digs for her eighth-straight double-digit kill performance and her ninth double-double in the last 11 matches. Bednar provided some insurance with 16 kills and five blocks while Bianca Anderson recorded 14 kills with four blocks to round out double-digit kills. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) put up a career-high 32 digs in the win while Downing pounded down a team-high eight blocks. Sobieralski was stellar on both sides, nabbing 51 assists with a career-high three aces and 18 digs for her third-straight double-double. Also securing double-digit digs were Weber with 13 digs and senior libero/defensive specialist Audrey Crowder (Avon, Indiana) with a season-high 15 digs.
As a team, the Eagles had 65 kills, 58 assists, and three aces to pair with 112 digs and 12 blocks. The Skyhawks posted 68 kills, 56 assists, and five aces to go with 115 digs and 10 blocks.
