Wayne State (5-0): 3
Southern Indiana (4-2): 0
Box Score
Southern Indiana: 3
Lake Superior State (0-6): 0
Box Score
FINDLAY, Ohio—The University of Southern Indiana volleyball team defeated Lake Superior State University 25-16, 25-21, 28-26 Friday evening to salvage a split on the opening day of the TownePlace Suites Classic.
Earlier in the day, the Screaming Eagles fell to Wayne State University in straight sets, 25-21, 26-24, 25-23.
Against Lake Superior State, the Eagles (4-2) got a match-high 11 kills from junior outside hitter Brittani Oliver and seven blocks from senior middle blocker Ashley Henricks . Sophomore middle blocker Danielle LaGrange and freshman outside hitter Abbi Williams combined for 13 kills and a .478 attacking percentage as the Eagles recorded their first sweep of the season.
Senior setter Melanie Pund had 18 assists and 12 digs in just two sets, while sophomore libero Krista Coccaro chipped in 11 digs. Freshman setter Ashley King tallied an eye-popping 17 assists in the third set alone, leading the Eagles' attack to a .317 hitting percentage in the final frame.
Earlier in the day, USI fought back from an early five-point deficit to tie the first set against Wayne State at 21-21. The Warriors, however, scored the next four points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Eagles battled back from a 24-19 hole in the second frame to tie the set at 24-24, but once again the Warriors turned the Eagles away to take a 2-0 lead in the match. In the final set, USI jumped out to an early four-point lead, but a 10-4 swing later in the frame allowed Wayne State (5-0) to close the match out in three sets.
USI was led by Henricks, who finished with eight kills, a .583 attacking percentage, and seven blocks. Oliver added nine kills and nine digs, while Pund finished with 37 assists and nine digs. Coccaro finished with a match-high 16 digs.
The Eagles, who need just three more wins to record the program's 500th all-time victory, conclude the TownePlace Suites Classic Saturday with matches against Hillsdale College (12:30 p.m. CDT) and The University of Findlay (5:30 p.m.).
