EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The University of Southern Indiana volleyball team continued its momentum Saturday afternoon with a three-set knockout of the University of Illinois Springfield in Great Lakes Valley Conference play, by scores of 25-23, 25-22 and 25-21.

The Screaming Eagles (13-13, 5-6 GLVC) stifled the Prairie Stars' (15-11, 6-5 GLVC) attack with 10 blocks, holding the visitors to just a .094 hitting percentage. Senior middle blocker Amanda Jung led the defensive effort at the net with a career-high eight blocks.

Junior setter Casey Cepicky collected another double-double in back-to-back matches (35 assists, 14 digs). The St. Louis-native also added a kill and a pair of blocks to her Saturday-resume.

USI took control of the opening set with a 9-8 advantage, thanks to a kill from freshman right side hitter Katherine Koch, and never looked back. The Eagles, though, never increased their first-set lead over four points before the eventual, 25-23, final. Four different Eagles tallied three-plus kills in the frame, leading to one of the two 17-kill sets for USI. Jung, Koch and freshman outside hitter Leah Anderson each snagged four, followed by senior middle hitter Elexis Coleman with three.

The most-competitive play came in the second stanza, as the two squads combined for three lead changes and 10 tied scores before coming to a close at 25-22 in favor of the Eagles. Anderson and Coleman combined for nine more kills, five and four, respectively. Cepicky reached her double-double with five digs in the second after notching six in the opener. Freshman libero Audrey Crowder nearly snatched double-digit digs in just the second frame, collecting nine in that category for a two-set total of fifteen.

USI regained definitive control in the final set, going back to allowing just a pair of tied scores and one lead change on the way to the 25-21 third-set clincher. The same four Eagles with three-plus kills in the first (Anderson, Coleman, Jung and Koch) returned to reach the same mark in the final stanza. Anderson and Coleman each reached double-figures on the attack, posting marks of 13 and 10 kills, respectively; Koch posted nine, followed by Jung and sophomore right side hitter Sidney Hegg with seven each.

Crowder and Cepicky continued their efforts from last night's upset to lead the back row with 19 and 14 digs, respectively. Senior libero/outside hitter Mikaila Humphrey came off the bench to scoop up 11 digs for the Eagles.

USI Volleyball stays in Evansville next weekend to host Missouri University of Science and Techonology and Maryville University in just-as-crucial GLVC action.