EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Despite winning the first set, University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (0-2, 0-0 OVC) slowly watched Murray State University (2-0, 0-0 MVC) take away three-straight sets to defeat the Screaming Eagles, 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 17-25, 12-25). The Eagles are still searching for its first win in the NCAA Division I era.
 
USI started off the match with a dynamic 25-22 first set win over Murray State. The Eagles controlled a 15-11 lead until momentum was lost due to a media timeout that allowed the Racers to recover lost ground and went on a 11-4 surge to make it 22-19. After a quick timeout by head coach Randi Raff, USI stole the show by going on a 6-0 set-winning run. Junior outside/right side hitter/setter Katherine Koch (Belleville, Illinois) and sophomore outside hitter Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana) recorded two kills each in the final run for the Eagles.
 
Murray State turned its woes around in set two and defeated USI, 25-18. The Racers went on an early 5-0 run before ending the set on a 4-0 surge. The Eagles could not stop the high-flying Racers, who had 17 kills and a .268 attacking percentage in the second frame. Weber and sophomore outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) each had two of USI's five kills.
 
Set three ended with a struggling 17-25 loss for the Eagles. Murray State came out swinging with 17 kills and an impressive .394 hitting percentage while USI could muster just nine kills and a .156. The Racers had four 3-0 runs and a 4-0 surge to take a 2-1 set advantage.
 
The fourth frame resulted in a 12-25 loss for USI as the Eagles could not recover from an early 11-4 gap. Murray State continued its dominant efforts by going on a 9-2 run late in the set to capitalize its second win of the season.
 
Weber led the attack for USI with eight kills while Anderson and Bednar finished with seven each. Koch dished out 21 assists while freshman libero/defensive specialist Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) led the group with 19 digs. Freshman middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) tallied four blocks while Koch and sophomore middle blocker Lauren O'Neill (Covington, Indiana) had three apiece.
 
As a team, the Eagles struggled on the attack, finishing with a .066 attacking percentage and just 34 kills. The Racers threw down 57 kills and held a solid .282 hitting percentage. USI also ended with eight blocks, 59 digs, and three aces.
 
NEXT UP FOR THE EAGLES:
The Eagles take a short trip to downtown Evansville, Indiana for a cross-town battle with the University of Evansville Tuesday August 30 for a 6 p.m. start time. This will be the first time USI and UE have faced in a regular season match since 1992.