EVANSVILLE, Ind. –The University of Southern Indiana volleyball team resumes its conference home schedule this weekend against two tough opponents. The Screaming Eagles face the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Friday at 7 p.m. and No. 16 Lewis University Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Physical Activities Center. Both games carry major implications on the GLVC standings.
USI (12-9, 5-3) is currently tied with three teams for fourth-place in the conference, including UW-Parkside (15-7, 5-3). Lewis (16-4, 7-1) sits atop the conference standings alongside the University of Missouri-St. Louis (16-4, 7-1), which hosts USI October 30.
Head Coach Leah Mercer sits just one win shy of 100 career victories and chases history as she would be the second coach in the program's history to reach a 100 wins. “I realize that our next win puts me at 100, but it doesn't overshadow the importance of these games for the conference standings and how we perform the rest of the season,” Mercer said.
Senior defensive specialist Janae Curnutt also is chasing a piece of history, trying to become the eighth player in the history of the program to record 1,000 digs in a career. She needs just two digs to reach the milestone.
The Eagles return home after finishing 1-2 in their three matches at the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover last weekend in Aurora, Illinois. “Despite dropping our final match to Ashland in five sets, I couldn't be more proud of how the team played overall last weekend,” Mercer said.
USI will rely on junior middle blocker Danielle LaGrange, who was named to the Mizuno GLVC/GLIAC Crossover All-Tournament team last weekend, to lead the attack against UW-Parkside and Lewis. She currently ranks fourth in the conference in kills with 3.36 per set and is third in the conference in total points per set with 3.97.
In order for the Eagles to have a balanced attack they also need support from senior outside hitter Brittani Oliver and freshman middle blocker Emily Diedrich. Both made large contributions last weekend with Oliver averaging 2.58 kills and 2.25 digs per set, while Diedrich added 1.83 kills per set and finished with a .357 hitting percentage.
Friday night's match against UW-Parkside features a toga contest for the fans and prizes for the male and female with the best toga. Saturday's match has featured entertainment from the Boom Squad and is Student Day at the Physical Activities Center. Attendance for all students will be $1 and all USI students are admitted free of charge.
