Southern Indiana (18-13): 3
Missouri-St. Louis (21-11): 1
Box Score
ROMEOVILLE, Ill.—The University of Southern Indiana volleyball team racked up 14 blocks and held the opposition to a .054 attacking percentage as it rallied from a one-set deficit to upend the University of Missouri-St. Louis 23-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-19 in the first round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament Friday afternoon.
After a disastrous finish in the first set that saw the Screaming Eagles give up 11 straight points and see a 23-14 lead turn into a two-point loss, USI used a stifling defensive effort to pick up a convincing five-point win in the second game and draw even with the Tritons.
USI (18-13), the sixth seed, held the third-seeded Tritons to a negative .050 attacking percentage in the second game. Senior setter Melanie Pund had four kills, a .600 attacking percentage, and eight of her team-high 31 assists in the second stanza as the Eagles evened the match at a set apiece.
The Eagles, on the strength of five kills and a .571 attacking percentage from sophomore middle blocker Danielle LaGrange, used an 11-2 burst in the third set to surge out to a 21-11 advantage. The Eagles hit .250 in the third stanza as they grabbed a 10-point win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Senior outside hitter Courtney Bealor racked up five kills and a .300 attacking clip to help the Eagles rally from a four-point deficit in the fourth set. USI, which had six blocks in the final game, used runs of 5-0 and 6-1 to put away the Tritons and advance into Saturday evening's semifinal round.
Bealor and LaGrange each had 12 kills to pace the Eagles, while Bealor finished with a team-high 12 digs to record her seventh double-double of the year. Pund finished with six kills, a .455 attacking percentage, and four blocks, while LaGrange and senior right side hitter Jaclyn Johnson each had five blocks.
Senior middle blocker Ashley Henricks added six kills and a team-high seven blocks for the Eagles, who won their season-best sixth straight match.
USI takes on No. 9 University of Indianapolis in the semifinals Saturday at 5 p.m. Indianapolis, the second seed in the GLVC Tournament, swept seventh-seeded Drury University Friday afternoon in the first round.
