SOMERS, Wis.—University of Southern Indiana Volleyball ended the year with a four-set Great Lakes Valley Conference road loss to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Saturday afternoon.
Senior middle hitter
Te'Ayla Whitfield (Fort Wayne, Indiana) had 13 kills, a .522 attacking percentage and three blocks to lead the Screaming Eagles, while sophomore middle hitter
Elexis Coleman (Joliet, Illinois) contributed 12 kills and a .360 attacking percentage.
Freshman setter
Casey Cepicky (St. Louis, Missouri) had 46 assists for the Eagles, who end the year with a 12-19 overall record and a 5-13 mark in GLVC play. Senior libero
Shannon Farrell (Munster, Indiana) and sophomore defensive specialist
Lizzy Gardner (Lafayette, Indiana) had 25 and 14 digs, respectively, to lead USI's back row.
Saturday's match was the final collegiate outing for Farrell, Whitfield, senior defensive specialist
Jessica Lee (Mackinaw, Illinois) and senior outside hitter
Shelbi Morris (Brazil, Indiana). Farrell completes her career as USI's all-time digs leader (1,900), while Whitfield finishes her career tied for seventh all-time at USI with 254 block assists and ninth with 291 total blocks. Morris, who did not play in 2017 due to injury, finishes her career with 487 kills and 539 digs, while Lee completes her career with 748 digs.
Set 1 (UWP 25-20)
In a back-and-forth first set, UW-Parkside won the final six points to earn a five-point win and one-set lead in the match. The Eagles attacked at a blistering .407 pace in the first set, but the Rangers trumped USI with a .452 attacking percentage. Coleman was one of three USI players with three kills in the opening frame.
Set 2 (UWP 25-22)
The Rangers (13-17, 8-10 GLVC) won seven of the final eight rallies to overcome a 21-18 deficit and earn the three-point win in the second frame. USI hit just .093 in the second stanza, despite a five-kill, .714 attack percentage effort from Coleman.
Set 3 (USI 25-11)
USI used a 14-2 run and a .440 attacking percentage to rout the Rangers by 14 in the third set and cut UW-Parkside's lead to a set. Jung had four kills and a .667 attacking percentage to lead the Eagles in the third set.
Set 4 (UWP 25-22)
The Eagles saw an early 12-9 lead dissipate as the Rangers used an 11-5 run to put USI in a three-point deficit it could not recover from. Whitfield racked up six kills and a .600 attacking percentage to lead the Eagles in the final set.
