EVANSVILLE, Ind.—Senior right side hitter
Erica Oberbroeckling (Westfield, Indiana) became the 10th player in school history to reach 1,000 career digs Tuesday night as the University of Southern Indiana volleyball team rolled its 20th win of the year with a 25-16, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory over visiting Bellarmine University at the Physical Activities Center.
After slipping up in the third set, the Screaming Eagles (20-9, 9-7 GLVC) stormed out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back in the fourth set. USI hit .300 and had a .750 side-out percentage in the final stanza as it closed out the win in four sets.
Oberbroeckling paced USI with 15 kills, including six in the fourth stanza. Sophomore outside hitter
Shelbi Morris (Brazil, Indiana) aided the Eagles' attack in the fourth frame with five kills on 12 swings. Morris finished the match with 12 kills and 17 digs.
Early in the match, it was senior middle blocker
Abbey Winter (Germantown, Illinois) who stole the show. Winter had six kills on eight attacks for a .750 hitting percentage as USI, which hit .364 as a team in set one, rolled to a nine-point win in the opening frame.
Winter, who finished with 11 kills and a .333 attacking percentage, had two of her four blocks in the second set as the Eagles held off a late Bellarmine run to earn the four-point win and two-set lead. Despite a .000 attacking percentage in the second set, the Eagles' defense stifled the Knights' attack as Bellarmine hit negative .051.
Bellarmine (10-20, 2-14 GLVC) roared back in the third frame, using a .364 attacking percentage to cut USI's match lead in half. Sophomore outside hitter Megan Kimbley had seven of her team-high 14 kills in the third set as the Knights cruised to the seven-point win.
USI (20-9, 9-7 GLVC), however, held Bellarmine to a .132 hitting percentage in the fourth frame as it earned the regular-season series split with the Knights.
Sophomore libero
Shannon Farrell (Munster, Indiana) led the Eagles with a match-high 21 digs, including eight in both the first and fourth sets. Junior setter
Quin Shoultz (Columbus, Indiana) added 43 assists and six digs for USI.
The Eagles, who reached the 20-win plateau for the 11th time in program history and the first since 2013, return to action Friday at 7 p.m. when they host the University of Illinois Springfield at the PAC. The Prairie Stars (5-24, 2-14 GLVC) fell to McKendree University in four sets Tuesday night in Springfield, Illinois.
USI concludes the regular-season with Senior Day Saturday at 3 p.m. when it hosts McKendree at the PAC. The Eagles will honor their three seniors—Winter, Oberbroeckling, and defensive specialist
Erin Goldschmidt (Smithton, Illinois)—prior to the match.