THURSDAY'S SCORES
Southern Indiana 3, @Lindenwood 1
Eastern Illinois 3, @SIU 0
Little Rock 3, @UT Martin 1
@Tennessee Tech 3, Southeast Missouri 1
@Western Illinois 3, Tennessee State 0
SOUTHERN INDIANA 3, LINDENWOOD 1
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (12-15, 8-8 OVC) took care of business and defeated Lindenwood University (13-14, 9-7 OVC) at Hyland Arena Friday evening, 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 25-17, 25-23), in the Screaming Eagles final road trip of 2023. USI's magic number to clinch the Ohio Valley Conference Championship drops to just one as USI awaits the results of several conference members in action this weekend.
A strong start leads to an opening-frame win for the Eagles, 25-22. USI kicked off the match with a big 5-1 advantage after three costly errors from the Lions plus a pair of kills from senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois) and senior outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio). Lindenwood closed the gap, but the Eagles continued to make it rain by posting seven of the next nine points to make it 12-5. Leah Anderson played a part in the first three points with two aces and a kill. After the Lions cut the deficit to three, USI doubled their lead once again after more mistakes from Lindenwood. The Eagles were not in the clear just yet as the Lions continued to pose a threat and cut the USI lead to just two. Despite the late effort, the Lions could not stop the Eagles' offense from marching on. Even though Lindenwood had 17 kills compared to USI's 11 kills, the Lions' match-high seven errors became deadly.
Mid-set runs for USI left Lindenwood in the dust as the Eagles stole the second set, 25-21. The Lions jumped out to a large eight-point lead after an early 6-0 run. Down 14-6, the Eagles cleared the deficit in the blink of an eye with a 6-0 surge that included back-to-back kills from Leah Anderson and an ace from junior outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana). The Lions were able to keep the lead at 16-13 but it was another USI run that flipped the script, this time a 5-0 stint with three kills from three different Eagles. USI was able to keep the momentum and extend the lead to 21-17 then close out the set after a big kill from sophomore middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois). The Eagles posted 15 kills despite earning six errors in the set.
Lindenwood stood their ground and steamrolled past USI in the third frame, 25-17. The Eagles did not hold a lead the entire set as the Lions were dominant on all fronts. During the game, Leah Anderson posted a team-high four kills with Weber right behind with three kills. The Lions' offense struck gold with a match-high 19 kills while the Eagles totaled a match-low 10 kills.
USI flipped the script late in the set to secure the win over Lindenwood, 25-23. The Lions went on an early 5-0 run to take an 8-3 lead and led by as many as six over the Eagles. Trailing 12-6, USI went on a strong 7-1 surge that started with a kill from Bianca Anderson and continued with kills from Weber, Leah Anderson, and junior middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana). The Eagles would then take the 15-14 lead after repeating kills from Downing and Weber. Lindenwood would regain the lead, 19-18, before USI posted a crucial 4-0 surge that flipped the set around, gave the momentum to the Eagles, and ultimately sealed the match. USI put up a whopping 15 kills with just three errors to earn a 0.324 hitting percentage.
Leah Anderson's 18 kills and 16 digs gave her 11th double-double of the season while also posting a team-high four aces. Bednar threw down a match-high four blocks with Downing and Bianca Anderson each securing three blocks. Junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) once again put up a dominant passing performance with 40 assists along with 19 digs for her 15th double-double and the sixth time in the last seven matches she has earned 40 or more assists. On the defensive end, sophomore libero/defensive specialist Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) recorded a team-high 25 digs while Weber put up 20 digs to sit atop the category.
As a team, the Eagles put up 51 kills, 48 assists, and five aces with 93 digs and eight blocks. The Lions produced 60 kills, 52 assists, and four aces to pair with 90 digs and six blocks.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, SIUE 0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The Eastern Illinois volleyball team completed their third consecutive sweep on Friday evening, as they defeated SIUE 3-0 (25-16, 27-25, 25-17). The Panthers are now 23-3 overall with a 13-2 record in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The Panthers came out of the gates firing on all cylinders with a convincing nine-point win in the opening set. The frame was tight early on with things knotted up at 11 apiece, but Eastern outscored SIUE 14-5 the rest of the way to take a 1-0 lead. Kaitlyn Flynn led the Panther attack with four kills, while Natalie Mitchem and Giovana Larregui López recorded three apiece. EIU combined for a hitting percentage of .429 as Catalina Rochaix tallied 11 assists.
EIU rode their momentum to a 12-7 lead in set two, but SIUE was able to settle in and close the gap, eventually overtaking Eastern 23-22. However, the Panthers weathered the storm and took the set behind three consecutive Larregui López kills to close things out. Larregui López and Mitchem both had five kills in the set, with Mitchem maintaining a strong .438 hitting percentage through the first two frames.
EIU fell behind 12-8 in set three, but rallied to overcome the deficit, finishing the match out with eight unanswered points to remain unbeaten on the road this season. Giovana Larregui López and Kaitlyn Flynn led the Eastern offense with four kills each is the set.
Giovana Larregui López led the match in total points (16) and kills (12) as she recorded 4.0 kills per set.
Natalie Mitchem and Kaitlyn Flynn also reached double digit kills with 10 apiece. Mitchem finished the match with a .375 hitting percentage.
Catalina Rochaix recorded her eighth double-double of the season as she handed out 32 assists (10.67 APS) and tallied 10 digs. She also got on the scoreboard with four kills and a service ace.
Defensively, Christina Martinez Mundo led the match with 15 digs (5.0 DPS), while Julia Stanev and Natalie Mitchem both recorded five blocks.
LITTLE ROCK 3, UT MARTIN 1
MARTIN, Tenn. - The argument could be made that Little Rock's straight set win Thursday had something to do with UT Martin not playing for the previous 12 days. But after completing a series sweep of the Skyhawks in Tennessee, there's no arguing left. The Trojans will enter the final series of the regular season with a chance to secure a spot in the OVC Conference Championship.
Little Rock (9-18, 6-10 OVC) finished off a series sweep of the Skyhawks on Friday by scores of 25-23, 26-28, 25-17, and 25-22, setting up what should be a "win-and-your-in" series with SIUE next week at the Jack Stephens Center. SIUE is 6-9 in conference play with one match to play Saturday against first-place Eastern Illinois.
UT Martin (9-18, 6-10) fell into a tie for ninth which should turn out to be a three-way tie for eighth when the weekend results are finished. But the Trojans now hold a very important tiebreaker against the Skyhawks by way of the series victory.
Bella Cherry posted a second straight 13-kill game, Darian Valencia recorded her 10th double-double of the season (15 assists, 12 digs) and Kaylee Smith added 15 assists with nine digs. Jeila Fullerton had 14 digs to go with eight kills, three aces and three blocks, Andrea Roman had a team-high 17 digs, and Daedrianna Cail put up seven kills and four blocks.
Little Rock hit .333 in the opening set and .325 in the fourth, saving the best for last with 16 kills in the clinching frame. The Trojans were able to win the third set despite hitting in the negative, largely in part to a long list of UT Martin errors. The Skyhawks committed 20 errors in the third set alone.
TENNESSEE TECH 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Outstanding resolve was the name of the game for the Tennessee Tech volleyball team Friday evening, as the Golden Eagles ran their Ohio Valley Conference-best winning streak to six straight matches with a 3-1 victory over Southeast Missouri.
Competing at the Hooper Eblen Center, the purple and gold won a war of attrition to kick off the night and used the momentum to secure its fourth consecutive victory against the Redhawks (20-6, 12-3), a program-best streak. The Golden Eagles (12-16, 8-9) burst out of the gates to open the match, taking a seven-point lead at 12-5.
SEMO battled back, securing a 23-23 tie that sparked an instant classic of an opening set. Both sides traded leads down the stretch, with the Redhawks reaching match point at 25-24. Tech squared things back at 25-all before outlasting the visitors from Cape Girardeau, Mo., 30-28.
The Cookeville crew piled up 21 kills and three blocks in the set, hitting .309 as a unit. Four different Golden Eagles recorded at least four terminations in the game, while sophomore setter Jordan Karlen dished out 16 assists.
Tech rode the spectacular finish into another sizable lead in set two, pushing out front by five points at 12-7. Four straight attack errors by the Golden Eagles and an ace allowed SEMO to knot things at 12-12. The Redhawks even took a lead of their own at 15-14, but the purple and gold swung back.
A 6-0 run put Tech on top for good, allowing the home squad to take a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-19 victory in the second set. Hitting .282 with two more blocks, the Golden Eagles piled up another 18 terminations while holding Southeast Missouri to just six kills with six errors.
The visitors proved why they entered the evening tied atop the OVC standings, exploding out to a 10-3 lead in the third set and holding off a late Tech surge for a 25-20 win. The purple and gold stripped the lead down to three at 22-19, but SEMO's early outburst was enough to hold up and force a fourth set.
In that fourth set, it seemed the match was destined for a fifth, as the Redhawks erupted out to a 10-2 advantage. Tech answered in kind, rolling off an 11-2 run to take its first lead of the game. Southeast Missouri tied it up one more time at 13-13, but the Golden Eagles put a cap on the evening with another impressive 12-4 run.
Hitting .270 in the set, the purple and gold totaled 15 kills and just five errors while also putting an exclamation point on the win with four blocks.
A number of impressive performances propelled the Golden Eagles to its sixth consecutive victory, led by Karlen and her 13th double-double of the season. The Janesville, Wis. native delivered a whopping 53 assists for a 13.25 per set average, along with a team-high 16 digs and four blocks.
Junior outside hitter Madolyn Isringhausen continued her red-hot play, turning in a match-high 20 kills while hitting a solid .294. The team's offensive leader picked up her 15th double-double on the year and sixth in a row, racking up 15 digs, three blocks, and an ace.
Graduate middle blocker Skylar Boom produced a monster performance with 17 kills on a .343 efficiency. The Louisville native also led the match with five block assists. Junior libero McKenna Young dug up 15 attempts and shelled out four helpers on the night.
Rookie right side Ava Schubert joined the double-digit dig brigade, totaling 11 to go along with two blocks. Matching her output was junior outside hitter Bella Powell, who also tallied 11 terminations to pair with 13 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. Junior middle blocker Emma Pabon tied Boom for the match lead with five blocks, chipping five kills for good measure.
WESTERN ILLINOIS 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois volleyball picks up their first sweep of the season, defeating Tennessee State 3-0 inside Western Hall on Friday (Nov. 10). Western Illinois moves to 7-8 in OVC play.
Leathernecks started slow in the opening set, falling 10-6 early. Grace Kremer started the chargeback with a kill. After both teams traded service errors, Western Illinois put together a 5-0 run to pull in front 12-11. After TSU tied the set, Brittany Wulf and Julianna Schmidt went back-to-back with kills, putting WIU back in front by two 14-12. WIU extended their lead as Maggie Craker got the kill, putting WIU up by four, 18-14. The Leathernecks used a 3-0 run led by Keyana Cruse to put the set out of hand as WIU took set one 25-20.
Seven ties through the first eight points started set two as WIU saw themselves tied at eight. Out of an 8-8 tie, the Leathernecks fed Annika Black and Cruse for back-to-back kills. After a TSU kill, WIU returned to Black as she found the floor twice, forcing a Tiger timeout. Out of the timeout, it was Grace Kremer's turn with two kills, giving WIU a 15-9 lead. Tennessee State cut the Leatherneck lead to four at 17-13 before Brittany Wulf had a kill, sparking a 5-0 run. Wulf has three of the points. A few TSU errors and a Cruse kill capped off a 25-16 set-two victory for WIU.
A lot like set one, WIU found themselves in an early hole. Down 5-3, Black and Kennedy Bauer rattled off back-to-back kills, tying the set a five. WIU would trade points before a 5-0 run with two Kremer service aces, which gave WIU a 10-6 lead. TSU fount back as they brought the set within two at 12-10. Multiple 2-0 spurts prompted WIU to extend their lead throughout the middle phase of set three as WIU took a 21-16 lead at a Tiger timeout. Multiple attacking errors surrounded a Karli Wenzel ace and a Kremer kill as WIU took set three 25-18.
WIU saw four players with seven or more kills in the three sets. Annika Black finished with nine kills, hitting at a .529 mark. Grace Kremer and Julianna Schmidt hit over .425 and had seven kills, and Keyana Cruse was the go-to arm as she tallied seven kills. Cruse and Karli Wenzel led the way with nine digs, as Craker had eight. Crake had 33 assists out of the setter position. WIU hit .262 as a team and had five service aces and two blocks.