EVANSVILLE, Ind.— The University of Southern Indiana volleyball team rallied from a pair of one-game deficits to avoid an upset bid and defeat Bellarmine University 27-30, 30-27, 20-30, 30-21, 15-8 Saturday afternoon at the Physical Activities Center.

After spotting the Knights a one-game lead, the Screaming Eagles found themselves trailing 16-10 in game two. However, USI reeled off nine straight points in a 12-1 run that lifted the Eagles to a 22-17 advantage and eventual game-two victory.

Sophomore defensive specialist Julia Ridley (Madisonville, Kentucky), who finished with 11 digs and two service aces, sparked the Eagles' run by serving up eight straight points during the 9-0 run. Ridley also had a solid service rotation at the start of the fourth game that saw the Eagles jump out to a 5-0 lead.

USI (12-9, 7-6 GLVC) also used a strong performance at the net in the final two games to pull out the victory. The Eagles recorded 10 team blocks in the final two games after recording just five blocks throughout the first three sets. The performance helped the Eagles hold Bellarmine's offense to a negative .065 attacking percentage in the final two frames.

Sophomore middle blocker Ashley Henricks (Greenwood, Indiana), sophomore libero Melanie Pund (Ferdinand, Indiana), and junior defensive specialist Amber Gogel (Ferdinand, Indiana) spurred the defensive effort for the Eagles. Henricks finished with a match-high nine blocks, while Pund and Gogel finished with 22 and 20 digs, respectively.

Offensively, the Eagles had four players with 11 or more kills. Freshman outside hitter Brittani Oliver (Indianapolis, Indiana) and sophomore outside hitter Courtney Bealor (LaPorte, Indiana) led the Eagles with 15 and 14 kills, respectively, while junior middle blocker Meg Buschman (Reynolds, Indiana) and senior middle blocker Molly Rahman (Ferdinand, Indiana) added 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Bealor also had 13 digs in the victory, while Rahman and Oliver each had four blocks.

Senior setter Stephanie Wilson (Terre Haute, Indiana) finished with 48 assists and 11 digs to aid the Eagles' effort. She needs just 55 digs to reach 1,000 in her career.

The Eagles return action Friday when they travel to Kansas City, Missouri, to take on Rockhurst University in a 7 p.m. match. It marks the first of four straight road matches for the Eagles.