EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball makes a weekend Ohio Valley Conference road trip to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. The matchup brings massive conference standing implications as the Screaming Eagles and Cougars are tied for seventh place currently. The Eagles only have eight games left with the top eight teams in the conference earning spots in the tournament.
Coverage
Both volleyball matches on ESPN+ can be found at the links above or on the USI Volleyball schedule where you can also find the live stats. Ticket links can also be found above or purchased at the door. In game updates will be provided on Twitter, while pregame and post-game updates will be on all three platforms @USIAthletics.
USI HEADLINES
Swept in Martin. Before their bye weekend, USI struggled to close sets falling in three sets to University of Tennessee at Martin for the second time (21-25, 21-25, 23-25). The differences became late runs as the Skyhawks mounted an 8-3 run to finish the first set, a 4-1 second set concluding run, and a 6-2 match finishing run in set three. The five-game slide has including opponents hitting at a .229 percentage compared the Eagles .140. Opponents have also totaled 20.5 more total blocks than the Eagles, along with being outscored by 68 points, winning two of the past 17 sets.
Utilizing Anderson in Multiple Ways. The Eagles were predicted to finish sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference in the 2024 preseason poll, with junior middle hitter Bianca Anderson chosen as the player to watch. The junior recently has stepped up her defensive game totaling a career high eight blocks against the Skyhawks last Tuesday in only three sets. Anderson is also dangerous with middle hits and elusive slides tallying 208 kills, only 36 short of her previous season high of 244 in her sophomore season.
Willis in the Clutch. Sophomore Ashby Willis has become the target hitter who brings consistency into every match along with the ability to take over in clutch scenarios racking up double-digit kills in eight OVC matches. Willis tied her career high of 19 kills at Eastern Illinois University dating back to her days at Purdue University Fort Wayne. The outside hitter also shines defensively eclipsing a new career high in digs at 24 in…
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