EAST PEORIA, Ill.—University of Southern Indiana Volleyball fell in their first round match in the GLVC Tournament to McKendree University 19-25, 25-17, 22-25, 24-26 on Friday afternoon at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria, Illinois.

USI (21-11,10-8 GLVC) led 5-2 early on in the first set before McKendree (22-10, 15-3 GLVC) roared back to take a 10-7 lead. The Bearcats would then increase their lead to 19-11 before the Screaming Eagles manufactured a 4-0 run to force a McKendree timeout. McKendree close on a 6-4 run to grab the first set victory. The Eagles hit just .154 in the first frame, while the Bearcats hit .405.

The Screaming Eagles responded by jumping out to an 11-4 lead, but the Bearcats quickly responded with a 5-1 run of their own. USI would not let McKendree gain the lead, as the Eagles continued to push forward in a 25-17 second set victory.

In the third set, the momentum was quickly grabbed by McKendree, as the Bearcats ran out to a 17-12 lead. USI would not go quietly, as the Eagles responded with a 10-5 run to tie the set at 22-22. McKendree closed out the set with  3-0 run to capture the 25-22 triumph.
 
 McKendree jumped out quickly to a 10-3 lead in the fourth set, utilizing the momentum they grabbed let in the third frame. Once again, the Eagles would not go down without a fight, as USI clawed back within 12-9 using a 6-2 run. USI was resilient, tying the fourth set at 15-15 and again at 20-20. In the closing points, the Eagles were presented opportunities to clinch the set, but could not capitalize.
 
USI was led by senior Abbey Winter with 13 kills and a .259 hitting percentage while junior Quinn Shoultz racked up 29 assists. Junior Amy Zwissler finished with nine kills, while senior Erica Obrebroeckling and sophomore Te'Ayla Whitfield recorded six kills each.
 
For the match, the Eagles hit just ,160, but did amass 13 total blocks.
 
The Eagles end their season at 21-11 overall and 10-8 in the GLVC.