EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Volleyball took over its final home match of the season in the second set to beat GLVC East-rival McKendree for a second time this season. The 25th-ranked Eagles snapped a two-game losing streak with the win.
The Screaming Eagles fought hard in a long first set but dropped the set to McKendree 28-26. Following the first set, USI set the tone with a flurry of aggressive attacks, leading to three-straight set victories and the match. As a team, the Eagles bombarded the Bearcats with a season-high 63 kills with a hitting percentage of .320, marking USI's highest attacking percentage since the sweep of Lindenwood (2/20/2021). USI will now look ahead to the remaining three games on its schedule, all away from home, facing Indianapolis, Illinois Springfield, and No. 1 Lewis to close out the regular season.
Leading the USI attack were sophomores
Katherine Koch and
Leah Anderson,as well as junior
Taylor Litteken. The sophomore duo of Koch and Anderson recorded 30 kills and 36.5 points combined. Koch's 17 kills and 19.0 points both mark career-highs for the outside hitter; her previous highs were 15 kills and 17 points (William Jewell 2/27/2021). Litteken attacked with vigor through the final three sets of the day, recording 11 total kills (season-high) on an attack percentage of .500, pairing with five digs, two blocks, one ace, one assist, and 13.0 points.
Casey Cepicky racked up assists, dishing it out 52 times in the four-set victory. The setter recorded a season high with the effort and now has 2,768 assists in her career at USI. She worked across the court, also laying out for nine digs and accounting for three kills, two blocks, and four points.
Junior
Sidney Hegg and freshman
Abby Weber and
Abby Bednar all contributed effectively to the USI match victory as well. Hegg recorded 6.0 points on four kills and four blocks. Weber hit an impressive .304, blasting eight kills while laying out for 10 digs, adding in two aces and a solo block. Bednar hounded the Bearcat defense with an attack percentage of .700 with seven kills.
NOTES:
The Eagles recorded season-highs in kills with 63, assists with 60, and points with 78.0.
Casey Cepicky slowly moves upwards in the all-time assists catergory, adding a season-high of 52 to her career total. The setter's total sits at 2,768, ranking fourth in USI history.
Katherine Koch recorded career-numbers against the Bearcats, posting 17 kills and 19.0 points on the way to USI's match win. Her previous highs were 15 kills and 17.0 points, both against William Jewell this season.
Leah Anderson sent 13 kills through the McKendree defense, marking four of the last five games for the sophomore with 10-plus kills.
USI had seven players with three-plus kills and three players with 11-plus kills to push the offense through the oppsoing force. Defensively, USI marked three players with 10-plus digs and seven more laying out for at leat one dig.
UP NEXT:
The Eagles will take on the Grey Hounds of Indianapolis on April 3rd at 2 P.M. (central) in Indianapolis at the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center. The match against UIndy will be the first of three road matches for USI prior to the GLVC tournament in mid-April.
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