EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana returns to Screaming Eagles Arena this weekend, hosting Western Illinois University at 6 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday. USI looks to make a jump this weekend as they currently sit in seventh place in the Ohio Valley Conference, while Western Illinois ranks sixth.
 
Friday night is Dig Pink Night supporting breast cancer awareness. Fans are encouraged to wear pink as the first 50 USI students will receive free pink t-shirts. USI is also hosting alumni night for any former Eagles interested are encouraged to sign in upon arrival to receive gift baskets courtesy of USIAthletics. Former players can RSVP on the  University of Southern Indiana Alumni Facebook page which is attached above. 
 
Coverage
Both matches were broadcasted on ESPN+ at the links above, along with in game updates @USIAthletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Live Stats are also available at the links above. Tickets are free courtesy of ProRehab.
 
USI Headlines
Setback in Little Rock. USI entered last weekend tied with the Trojans at fourth in the division. After a frustrating weekend with multiple tough breaks, USI sits in seventh after dropping both matches in four sets. The Eagles dug themselves a hole early Friday eventually falling (23-25, 21-25, 25-16, 15-25) committing 32 errors. The sophomore outside hitters Ashby Willis (18 kills) and Leah Coleman (13 kills) were heavily relied upon. USI struggled to defend the Trojans offense on Saturday as Little Rock finished with a .257 attacking percentage eventually finishing the Eagles in four sets. 
 
Digging Into the Record Books. Senior setter Carly Sobieralski continues to climb the record books surpassing 2.5K assists last weekend as she sits in seventh all-time. Former Castle product, junior libero Keira Moore surpassed 1,000 career digs against UT Martin with a season high 29. She became the15th Eagle in the USI record books to surpass the 1,000 mark and currently sits in 12th all-time. In 2023, Moore earned 498 digs which was the fifth best single season mark in USI history as only a sophomore and currently has 327 digs as a junior. Senior Abby Weber surpassed the mark in the first weekend as she currently sits at 11th with 1,131 career digs.
 
Preseason Player to Watch Anderson's Success. The Eagles were predicted to finish sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference in the 2024 preseason poll, with junior middle hitter Bianca Anderson chosen as the player to watch. She's tallied 186 kills on an efficient .281 percentage. Anderson can keep the defense guessing with powerful strikes up the middle or elusive slides.
 
Career Highs in Little Rock. Freshman defensive specialist Kerigan Fehr stepped into a bigger role on Friday with a career high 14 digs. The night marked her third double-digit dig match as a Screaming Eagle. Coleman tied her career high of 13 kills on Friday night. Redshirt freshman Maeve Moonan recorded her first USI statistic with a block on Friday night.
 
Sobieralski's Domination. Sobieralski continues to drop dimes leading the OVC with 722 total. The senior ranks seventh all-time in assists at 2,501, eclipsing the 2,000 mark against Ball State along with breaking the 2.5k mark last weekend. She also earned OVC Setter of the Week for the fourth career time in the final week of non-conference play. Sobieralski has tallied 20+ assists in every game this season along with adding 15 double doubles. The senior is averaging 44.57 assists per game in OVC matches at 10.76 assists per set. She's also averaging 12.43 digs per match in conference play as she totaled 28 on the weekend.
 
Consistent Production from Willis. Willis has become the target hitter who brings consistency into every match along with the ability to take over in clutch scenarios racking up double-digit kills in six-straight matches. Willis tied her career high of 19 kills at Eastern Illinois University dating back to her days at Purdue University Fort Wayne. The outside hitter has also delivered strong defensive performances with six double-digit dig matches in her seven OVC matches.
 
Mixing Up the Attack. USI uses a variety of attackers from different angles to confuse the defense. Moreover, seeing one player earn high percentages of the teams' kills is usually not the case. Four different matches this season, USI has had four different Eagles tally double digit kills. Five different USI attackers have over 100+ kills in senior Paris Downing (120), graduate senior Jasmine Green (175), Willis (206), Coleman (181), and Anderson (186).  Any Eagle can take over on any given night making the USI incredibly tough to prepare for as an opposition.
 
Set Trends. USI's struggle this season has been getting ahead, losing 13 of their 19 first sets. Opponents have outscored the Eagles by 69 (462-393) in first sets and by 21 in third sets (401-422), but the Eagles are positive in the second (439-425), fourth (277-261), and fifth sets (53-51). Saturday's second set win marked seventh time this season the Eagles have dropped set one and bounced back winning set two.
 
Dig Pink Night. USI hosts their annual Dig Pink match wearing pink as we honor loved ones we've lost, celebrate the survivors, and help those who are or will be diagnosed with breast cancer within our family, friends, and USI community. The first 50 students will receive free pink t-shirts!
 
Scouting Western Illinois. The Leathernecks enter play at 10-8 overall with a 4-3 OVC record. WIU went 6-5 on the non-conference slate with wins over Northern Illinois University, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Belmont University, Charleston Southern University, Norfolk State University, and Sacred Heart University. The Leathernecks conference road has included two series sweeps over Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois University, along with three losses against Lindenwood University and Tennessee Tech University (twice). Offensively, WIU is led by outside hitter Keyana Cruse with a league leading 315 total kills at 4.63 per set. Cruse tallied a career high 29 kills against University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee along with eight other matches with 20+ kills. She's also hitting an impressive .248 as an outside hitter along with adding 271 digs. Setting up Cruse is senior setter Maggie Cracker with the second-best assists per set in the conference at 10.13 with 689 total assists. Cruse was named preseason All-OVC, while Cracker was Preseason Player to Watch.
 
USI Strengths and Weaknesses Statistically. USI has been out blocked this season 170.5-127. The difference is in large part due to the multiple power conference teams USI played in the rugged non-conference schedule. However, after getting back on track out blocking Eastern Illinois, USI struggled against the Trojans last weekend losing the block battle 23-12. USI has been out blocked 13 of their 19 matches but are 4-6 in the past ten. USI's strengths ranking in conference are in kill (4th) at 12.62 per set, assist (3rd) at 11.88 per set, and digs (3rd) at 17.12 per set. Their statistical weaknesses lie in hitting percentage (9th) at .172, blocks (9th) at 1.74 per set, and service aces (10th) at 1.27 per set.
 
WIU Strengths and Weaknesses Statistically. Western Illinois has been outscored in kills 879-983, assists 777-883, aces 74-85, and committed more service errors than opponents 172-80. However, the Leathernecks have led opponents in blocks 130.5-129.5, digs 1277-1265, and hitting percentage .212-.208 on the season. In OVC ranks, WIU has thrived in hitting percentage (2nd) at .212, kills (3rd) at 12.93, and digs (1st) at 18.78. Their weaknesses lie in opponent hitting percentage (9th) allowing a .208 percentage and service aces (11th) at 1.09 per set.
 
Movement Around the League.  Lindenwood University climbs into first place with an emphatic sweep of the previously undefeated in conference play Tennessee Tech University Golden Eagles, 3-0 in both matches. TTU drops from first place to fourth following the weekend slump. Preseason favorite Southeast Missouri State University jumps into second at 4-1 with their only loss coming at Screaming Eagles Arena. University of Arkansas at Little moves into third following the weekend at 5-2, while USI drops into seventh. The Eagles look to make a jump this weekend as Western Illinois is one game ahead of them at 4-3. 11 games remain in the OVC slate for USI (six home, five away) looking to climb up the standings as the top eight teams advance into the conference tournament which is hosted by the top regular season squad.