EVANSVILLE, Ind. - University of Southern Indiana Volleyball hits the road again this weekend to open Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

The Screaming Eagles will make visits to Maryville University on Friday, the University of Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday and McKendree University on Tuesday.

USI is 6-2 through the first two weekends of non-conference play, going 3-1 in the USI Invitational two weeks ago and in the Hall of Fame City Challenge in Canton, Ohio last weekend.

The Setup

• Sophomore Casey Cepicky (St. Louis, Missouri) continues to lead the Eagles in assists, eclipsing 200 on the year in the final match of last weekend's tournament against Notre Dame College
• With USI switching to a 6-2 scheme, senior Erika Peoples (Bloomington, Illinois) produced 42 assists over four matches in the front row

The Punchline

• Junior Elexis Coleman (Joliet, Illinois) has been named to both all-tournament teams this season, pacing the field in kills and attack percentage in both cases. Coleman leads USI with 72 kills (3.00 kills per set) and boasts a .377 attack percentage for the season
• Sophomore Alyssa Yochum (Columbia, Illinois) and freshman Taylor Litteken (Foristell, Missouri) each have over 50 kills this season to supplement the attack

The Reception

• Senior libero Haley Limper (Springfield, Illinois) paces the back line with a 3.36 dig/set average (84 total). Limper also leads USI with 10 service aces
• Cepicky sits second among the Eagles with 65 digs, followed by junior Lizzy Gardner (Lafayette, Indiana) with 51 digs

Block Party!

• Freshman Sidney Hegg (Manasha, Wisconsin) leads USI with 26 blocks so far this season, posting three or more in six matches, with a season-high six against Notre Dame
• Coleman chases Hegg up the stat sheet with 25, tallying six twice so far this season
• Litteken rounds out the top three at USI with 20 blocks, racking up 11 on the final day of the Hall of Fame City Challenge

The Weekend Ahead

at Maryville; Friday, 7 p.m.

• The Saints hold a 4-4 record so far in 2018, posting two victories in straight sets and one in five. In losses, only one has went over the minimum requirement
• Maryville's attack is led by Cassidy Arndt, who holds a 2.43 kill/set average on a .143 hitting percentage. Arndt has posted career-best marks against USI including hitting percentage (.350) and digs (18)
• The Saints feature a 50-50 split between Mikaela Kues and Kayla Buxton for their setting duties. Both have over 100 assists this season, 109 and 101 respectively

at Missouri-St. Louis; Saturday, 3 p.m.

• The Tritons also stand at 4-4 this season but will face off with Bellarmine University Friday evening prior to hosting USI on Saturday. Of their four losses, only one finished in three sets
• Missouri-St. Louis has faced a rigorous schedule. It notably defeated No. 23 Augustana University two weeks ago before falling to No. 24 Findlay University last weekend, both in five sets
• The Tritons sport some depth throughout their roster, boasting three attackers with a kill/set average over 2.80, led by Selena Nolte at 3.79 through 29 sets
• The primary setter is Payton Kennelly with 261 assists through 31 sets. Cara Ferchen will likely relieve Kennelly, having 83 assists in 16 appearances
• The back row is led by Megan Woll with a 4.61 dig/set average and six service aces

at McKendree; Tuesday, 7 p.m.

• The Bearcats also sit at 4-4 but will face Lindenwood University Friday and the University of Illinois-Springfield Saturday before hosting USI on Tuesday
• McKendree's most notable opponent through eight matches is Northern Michigan University, who was voted No. 23 in the most recent national AVCA Coaches' Poll. NMU upset top-ranked University of Minnesota-Duluth last weekend; McKendree forced a fourth set on the Wildcats back on August 24
• As a team, McKendree averages 13.19 kills per set (.217 hitting percentage), thanks in large part to Hope Gramly with a mark of 3.65. Gramly also leds the Bearcats with 31 blocks
• Look for nearly all sets to come from Morgan Melchert, who has amassed 333 assists for a 10.74 per-set average
• The second-leading attacker for McKendree, Kelly Voss, has posted 2.97 kills per set on top of a team-leading 3.29 digs per set average

Follow Along with the Action

Find USI Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@USIAthletics) for updates on USI Volleyball and all other Screaming Eagles competition. Both accounts will feature links to live stats and streaming from the GLVC Sports Network for this weekend's events.

On the Horizon

USI Volleyball stays on the road next weekend to face the University of Indianapolis and Lewis University on September 14 and 15. The Eagles return home on Friday, September 21 to host Truman State University.