INDIANAPOLIS - University of Southern Indiana Volleyball opened its competition in the Midwest Region Crossover on Friday with its first five-set match of 2018 in a victory over Ohio Valley University (25-13, 20-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-9).

After a dominating first set for the Screaming Eagles, all other sets were decided within six points. Sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Yochum (Columbia, Illinois) led the attack with 20 kills, while sophomore setter Casey Cepicky (St. Louis, Missouri) picked up another double-double on 27 assists and 10 digs.

USI 25, OVU 13
 

• The set opened with the Eagles and Scots going tit-for-tat to a 9-7 USI lead before the Eagles exploded for eight kills in a 14-1 run
• Yochum led the attack with six kills, five of which coming during the 14-1 run with a .500 hitting percentage...Freshman middle blocker Sidney Hegg (Menasha, Wisconsin) added three kills
• Freshman middle hitter Taylor Litteken (Foristell, Missouri) was the enforcer at the net with four blocks
• Senior libero Haley Limper gathered five digs and two service aces to lead the back line
• Cepicky posted seven assists, four credited to kills by Yochum

OVU 25, USI 20
 

• The Scots evened the match in the second set after they jumped out to a 16-6 lead...OVU ended the frame with 19 kills: 10 between Jessica Rafay and Carolina Ramirez
• Juniors right side hitter Elexis Coleman (Joliet, Illinois) and outside hitter Lindsey Stose (Elkhart, Indiana) led USI's attack with three kills each
• Senior setter Erika Peoples (Bloomington, Illinois) led with six of USI's 10 assists, setting up four different Eagles for kills

USI 25, OVU 21
 

• The Eagles gained the lead at 7-6 and carried a lead between three and five points for the remainder of the set.
• Yochum posted four kills to lead USI's attack, three of which coming in the first four points scored by the Eagles
• Limper posted six digs in the set, the same total as the next three combined

OVU 25, USI 23
 

• The Scots slipped past the Eagles with a 7-0 run in halfway through the fourth despite USI hitting at a rate of .385 and holding a 21-20 late lead
• Yochum continued her performance with a perfect five-for-five on the attack, followed by four kills by junior middle blocker Amanda Jung (Belleville, Illinois)
• Litteken picked up the lone solo block for USI along with a block-assist with Jung
• Limper picked up her fourth and final ace

USI 15, OVU 9
 

• The Eagles finally took control of the match with a 9-2 run to clinch...USI posted nine kills on a whopping .421 hitting percentage
• Coleman and Yochum combined for seven of the kills, and all of the last four
• Litteken posted her seventh and eighth blocks early in the final frame

Notes
 

• Alyssa Yochum's 20 kills nearly doubled her season-high of 11 and topped her career-high of 16 set at Truman State University on October 28 of last season
• USI extended its winning-streak in the crossover to four matches with the victory over OVU
• There were nine lead changes in the match, all in the latter three sets, and four in the fifth frame
• Taylor Litteken posted eight blocks in the match, the most by an Eagle in any match in 2018
• Casey Cepicky picked up her eighth double-double this season and 17th of her young career
• Four Eagles posted double-digit kills...Amanda Jung and Alyssa Yochum led those four in hitting percentage: .474 and .421 respectively
• Haley Limper posted 19 digs, her second-most in a match this season, just one week after posting 23 against No. 15 Lewis University

Up Next

USI returns to The Academy Volleyball Club Saturday morning for a 9 a.m. (CDT) match with Northern Michigan University. The Eagles finish the Midwest Region Crossover at 3 p.m. Saturday against Kentucky Wesleyan College.