EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Volleyball saw a pair of one-set leads evaporate as the University of Missouri-St. Louis handed the Screaming Eagles a 19-25, 25-15, 20-25, 25-21, 15-13 Great Lakes Valley Conference loss on Senior Day at the Physical Activities Center.
 
Senior middle hitter Te'Ayla Whitfield (Fort Wayne, Indiana) had 15 kills, a .393 attacking percentage and seven blocks to lead the Eagles, while sophomore outside hitter Mikaila Humphrey (Floyd Knobs, Indiana) had a team-high 18 kills.
 
Sophomore middle hitter Elexis Coleman (Joliet, Illinois) added 11 kills and a .360 attacking percentage, while freshman setter Casey Cepicky (St. Louis, Missouri) finished with 52 assists and 10 digs.
 
The Eagles (12-16, 5-10 GLVC) had five players finish with at least 10 digs, led by senior libero Shannon Farrell (Munster, Indiana), who finished with 18. Senior defensive specialist Jessica Lee (Mackinaw, Illinois) and sophomore defensive specialist Lizzy Gardner (Lafayette, Indiana) each had 13 digs, while junior defensive specialist Haley Limper (Springfield, Illinois) finished with 12 digs.
 
USI finishes its 2017 home schedule Tuesday at 7 p.m. when it hosts the University of Indianapolis at the PAC. The Eagles, who are still alive for a spot in the GLVC Tournament, finish the regular season November 10-11 with trips to Lewis University and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
 
Set 1
USI used a 7-2 run midway through the first frame to build a commanding 21-15 lead it would not relinquish. Humphrey racked up six kills and a .556 attacking percentage to lead the Eagles in the opener, while Cepicky tallied 13 assists in leading USI to a team attacking clip of .286.
 
Set 2
Missouri-St. Louis (20-7, 10-6 GLVC) used early runs of 4-0 and 3-0 to build a 12-9 lead; then erupted for six consecutive points en route to the 10-point win. The Tritons hit a blistering .400 as a team to even the match at a set apiece. Coleman and Whitfield each had three kills to lead USI in the second set.
 
Set 3
The Eagles used a critical 3-0 run to break a 16-16 tie and win a shootout in the third set. USI countered Missouri-St. Louis's .333 attacking percentage with a blistering .455 clip to earn the five-point win and one-set lead. Coleman had five kills and a perfect attacking percentage to lead the Eagles, while Cepicky racked up 14 assists.
 
Set 4
USI saw an early six-point lead evaporate as Missouri-St. Louis surged to a four-point win in the fourth set. The Tritons, who used an 11-2 run to turn four-point deficit into a 17-12 advantage, had five blocks in the fourth frame to even the match at two sets apiece. Humphrey had six kills to lead the Eagles.
 
Set 5
Each team rallied from early two-point deficits in a tight fifth frame, but the Eagles could not overcome a 14-12 deficit as the Tritons held on for a two-point win. USI nearly tied the contest at 14-14, but officials could not tell whether a ball off a USI block was in or out, forcing a replay of the point, which eventually ended in Missouri-St. Louis' favor. Whitfield and Humphrey each had three kills to lead the Eagles in the decisive set.