SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—Junior right side hitter
Erica Oberbroeckling (Westfield, Indiana) slammed down a season-high 16 kills and junior middle blocker
Abbey Winter (Germantown, Illinois) had eight blocks as the University of Southern Indiana volleyball team rallied from a one-set deficit to defeat the University of Illinois Springfield 27-29, 25-15, 25-16, 25-18 in a Great Lakes Valley Conference match Saturday afternoon.
Despite suffering the setback in the opening set, it was the momentum shift at the end of the first frame that propelled the Screaming Eagles past the host Prairie Stars. USI rallied from a 21-11 deficit to tie the stanza at 24-24 before suffering the two-point loss.
The Eagles (11-6, 6-5 GLVC) carried that momentum into the second set, where the jumped out to a quick 7-1 lead. USI hit .286 in the second game and held the Prairie Stars (4-12, 1-10 GLVC), who hit .350 in the first set, to a mere .065 attacking clip.
USI continued to poor on the offense as the match progressed as it hit .300 in the third set and .424 in the fourth frame. The Eagles were aided by a 10-1 run in the third set and an 8-2 spurt in the fourth frame.
Oberbroeckling, who hit .394 on a match-high 33 swings, had five kills in the second set, four in the third, and five more in the fourth frame. Winter, who had 12 kills and a .400 attacking percentage, racked up seven blocks in the final three sets, including four in the second frame, as USI's play at the net stymied the Prairie Stars attack.
As a team, the Eagles had 11.5 of their 13.5 team blocks in the final three frames as they held Illinois Springfield to a .062 attacking clip in the third set and a .119 attacking percentage in the fourth stanza.
In addition to Oberbroeckling and Winter, senior outside hitters
Lauren DeShaney (Appleton, Wisconsin) and
Fawn Ryan (Batesville, Indiana) each tallied 10 kills. Ryan is just one kill shy of becoming the 13th player in school history to reach 1,000 in her career.
Sophomore setter
Quin Shoultz (Columbus, Indiana) set up the Eagles' hitters, who recorded a .316 team attacking percentage for the match. Shoultz had 40 assists, five kills, nine digs, and five blocks.
Defensively, the Eagles were led by freshman libero
Jessica Lee (Mackinaw, Illinois), who had a team-high 14 digs, including 10 in the final two sets.
USI returns to action Tuesday at 6 p.m. when it hosts Midwest Region foe Cedarville University at the Physical Activities Center. The Eagles also compete in the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover next Friday and Saturday in Aurora, Illinois.
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