ST. LOUIS, Mo. - University of Southern Indiana Volleyball captured its seventh-straight victory in two gritty matches, beating GLVC-foes Maryville in four sets and William Jewell in five. The Screaming Eagles fought back from playing down 1-0 against the Saints and 2-0 deficit versus the Cardinals. 

The 13th-ranked Eagles improved to 7-1 on the season following the Saturday double-header. USI struggled to start each match but found solid footing to take each match by winning all but one of the major categories and out-hitting the Saints in the last three sets. William Jewell dominated the first two sets over USI but the Screaming Eagles took control of their hitting to navigate a path to victory by reducing attack errors and out-hit the opposing Cardinals. 

AGAINST MARYVILLE:
The Eagles posted a .240 hitting percentage while being led by a pair of sophomores in Leah Anderson and Katherine Koch, both of who recorded double-digit kills against the Saints. Anderson added in four blocks and two service aces and totaled 15.0 points to her 11 kill count. Koch played across the court with 10 kills, five assists, four digs, and 10.0 total points. 

Abby Weber and Taylor Litteken each recorded 13.5 points on the way to the Eagles' 3-1 victory. This marked Weber's first career contest with double-digit points with 13.5 and a career-high in aces with four. Litteken posted a season high in points (14.5), kills (nine), and aces (two) against the Saints. 

On defense, Callie Gubera set a career-high with 16 digs while Sidney Hegg, Casey Cepicky, and Litteken each had five blocks. Cepicky ran the offense with her fifth-straight outing of 30-plus assists while laying out for six digs as well. 

AGAINST WILLIAM JEWELL:
USI went down two sets to none to start the match versus the Cardinals but came back furiously to win behind strong performances from Koch and Weber, who combined for 31.5 points. 

Koch blasted a career-high with 15 kills and added career-highs in assists (nine) and points (17.0). Weber sent a career-high 12 kills through the Cardinals' defense while recording 14.5 points (career-high) and adding a double-digit dig count for the third time in four games. 

The Eagles' defense showed out through the contest with three players recording 14-plus digs. Audrey Crowder led the effort with a season-high 15 digs while Cepicky and Weber both had 14. Cepicky added another double-double game with her 37-assist, 14-dig game, her fourth of the year. The senior setter added 37-plus assists for the third time in four games. 

NOTES:
The Eagles earned their highest national ranking ever in this past week's AVCA poll (2/24/2021), coming in at No. 13 (previously 17th).

USI extended its win streak to seven games after dropping its first match of the season to then-No. 14 Lewis (currenlty ranked No. 2).

The Eagles lost their first set since losing to then-No.14 Lewis in the first match of the season (USI lost 3-2 to the Flyers), dropping set number one to Maryville. USI cleaned up five-straight opponents with sweeps, Illinois Springfield (1/30), Indianapolis (2/6), McKendree (2/13), then-No. 6 Rockhurst (2/20), and Lindenwood (2/20).

Senior Casey Cepicky took another leap forward to move ahead in the USI record book with her 69-assist performance during the Maryville-hosted triangular. Cepicky has 2,490 assists in her career (sixth all-time) and is now 31 behind Melanie Pund (fifth - 2,521). 

Freshman Abby Weber posted career-bests in four categories during the GLVC triangular, including points (14.5), kills (12), aces (four) and blocks (one). 

Sophomore Katherine Koch marked season-highs against William Jewell with 15 kills, nine assists, three blocks and 17.0 total points in the contest.

Junior Taylor Litteken went for three season-bests in the first match against Maryville with nine kills, two aces, and 13.5 points while thwarting seen Cardinal attacks in the second match versus William Jewell. 

UP NEXT:
USI Volleyball will head to Rolla, Missouri to take on Missouri S&T and UMSL at the Missouri S&T-hosted triangular on Saturday, March 6. The Screaming Eagles will take on Missouri S&T at 10 A.M. and UMSL at 2 P.M.

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