The University of Southern Indiana volleyball team got out its brooms this past weekend as the Screaming Eagles went 4-0 at the Pyramid City Collegiate Volleyball Tournament in Memphis, Tennessee. USI, which improved to 7-2 on the season, recorded a .325 attacking percentage and held the opposition to a .110 hitting percentage as it won each match, 3-0.

Sophomore middle blocker Leeanne Gross (Decatur, Indiana) and senior outside hitter Shannon Wells (Merrillville, Indiana) led the Eagle attack during the weekend. Gross finished with 3.33 kills per game and a team-high .440 attacking percentage while Wells tallied a team-high 3.58 kills per game and a .378 attacking percentage.

Defensively, senior outside hitter Kristina Kavanaugh (Montgomery, Indiana) led the Eagles with 3.25 digs per game. Gross averaged 3.17 digs per game while Wells was close behind with 3.08 digs per game. Wells needs just two digs to reach 1,000 for her career.

USI also dominated the serving game as it compiled 3.92 service aces per game. Wells led the Eagles with 1.25 service aces per game while Gross dished in 0.92 service aces per game.

Junior setter Kim Boehmer (Cincinnati, Ohio) continued to rack up assists as she averaged 10.5 assists per game. She needs 177 assists to reach 3,000 for her career.

Friday's action started with USI taking on one of the tournament hosts, Rhodes College. The Eagles hit .309 and recorded 10 service aces as they took the match in three games (30-16, 30-26, 30-11).

USI's second match on Friday was against the University of West Alabama, which entered the contest with a 5-0 record. The Eagles dominated the first and second games of the match and edged the Tigers in the third match to give UWA its first loss of the season. USI recorded a .500 attacking percentage in the second game and 14 service aces in the match as it won 30-24, 30-11, and 30-28.

Saturday's action started with an all-out assault. USI hit .330 and recorded nine service aces as they defeated Mississippi University for Women 30-13, 30-12, and 30-21.

Newburgh, Indiana native Laura Ellerbusch (Castle) recorded four kills, three service aces, and a .429 hitting percentage in her first action of the weekend.

Ellerbusch helped the Eagles with six kills, in just six attempts, in the third game against the State University of West Georgia. USI hit a blistering .462 and recorded 14 service aces as it cruised to a 30-20, 30-11, 30-17 win.

USI, which has won six consecutive matches and 18 straight games, will switch directions as it travels north to participate in the Great Lakes Valley Conference/Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference Crossover in Allendale, Michigan. The Eagles will face Hillsdale College and Ferris State University on Friday, September 13, and 25th-ranked Northwood University on Saturday, September 14.

Next weekend's matches figure to have NCAA II Tournament implications as all three of USI's opponents were ranked in the top 10 of the preseason regional rankings. USI was ranked sixth in the preseason regional rankings.