EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Volleyball saw its comeback bid fall short as it fell to Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division foe McKendree University, 25-19, 25-9, 24-26, 25-21, Friday night at the Physical Activities Center.
 
After struggling to find any sort of rhythm in the first two sets, the Screaming Eagles rallied from a seven-point deficit and fought off match-point to steal a two-point win in the third stanza.
 
The Eagles (6-8, 1-4 GLVC) jumped out to an early 9-6 lead in the fourth frame, but a 4-0 McKendree run got the visiting Bearcats back into contention.
 
With the score knotted at 15-15, McKendree (9-5, 4-1 GLVC) used a 3-0 spurt to build a lead it would not relinquish.
 
Earlier in the match, the Eagles struggled on the offensive end as they hit negative .044 throughout the first two sets.
 
In the opener, the Eagles were held to a .061 attacking percentage as McKendree slowly and methodically built a commanding six-point lead. USI cut McKendree's lead in half late in the frame, but the Bearcats won four of the final five rallies to earn the six-point win.
 
USI jumped out to a 5-3 advantage in the second set, but a 10-0 McKendree run quickly turned the stanza in the wrong direction for the Eagles. The Bearcats, who hit .387 in the second stanza while holding the Eagles to a negative .143 clip, used a 7-1 run to close the set and build a two-set lead in the match.
 
Freshman outside hitter Mikaila Humphrey (Floyd Knobs, Indiana) and senior middle hitter/outside hitter Amy Zwissler (Bloomington, Indiana) had 15 and 10 kills, respectively, to lead the Eagles' offense. Sophomore setter Erika Peoples (Bloomington, Illinois) had a double-double with 33 assists and 21 digs, while junior libero Shannon Farrell (Munster, Indiana) had 21 digs.
 
The Eagles return to action Saturday at 3 p.m. when they host the University of Illinois Springfield at the PAC. The Prairie Stars (5-8, 0-5 GLVC) suffered a five-set loss to Bellarmine University Friday night in Louisville, Kentucky.