BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (2-7) concluded the Indiana Invitational with two matches at Wilkinson Hall against Ball State University and Chicago State University. USI dropped the morning match against the Cardinals (23-25, 17-25, 17-25) in three sets. The Screaming Eagles concluded their weekend with a narrow loss against Chicago State (17-25, 21-25, 25-21, 18-25) in four hard-fought sets.
 
After tallying 26 assists against Ball State, senior Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) surpassed 2,000 career assists. She becomes the ninth Eagle to accomplish this incredible achievement. 1,400 of those assists have occurred in 2023 and 2024 as Sobieralski continues to improve.
 
Head coach Jeffrey Aucoin and assistant coach Julianna Cramer matched up with their former school on Saturday morning. Aucoin played for the Cardinals in 2013 before starting his coaching career. Cramer also competed for Ball State in 2022, along with a year stint as the Cardinals Director of Operations in 2023.
 
Vs. Ball State
The Eagles mounted a late six-point comeback but fell short in a nail-bitter first set, 23-25. Junior Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois) carried her strong Friday night into Saturday with three straight kills to mount an 8-6 lead. Sobieralski tallied a monstrous 11 assists, but still found themselves down 16-21. Next, USI exploded for a 6-0 run taking advantage of four Cardinals errors. However, Ball State finished the set on a 4-1 run to gain the early advantage.
 
Ball State dominated the Eagles in set two with 17 kills opposed to USI's nine, 17-25. Sophomore Ashby Willis (Mount Carmel, Illinois) smashed two early kills before the Cardinals went on a four-point run to earn a 9-5 lead. The Eagles could never string a run longer than two points to drop set two.
 
USI committed a match-high nine errors in a set three loss, 17-25. Five different Eagles including seniors Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana), Jasmine Green (Rockwall, Texas), Abby Weber (Fishers, Indiana), Anderson, and Willis all tallied kills in set three. However, nine errors opposed to the Cardinals four was the difference in the third set sweep.
 
Willis led the Eagles in kills at nine for the third match this season. Sobieralski's historic day included her sixth double-double of the season at 26 assists and 11 digs. Junior Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) earned a team-high 18 digs and Downing swatted four blocks.
 
As a team, USI finished with 31 kills, 30 assists, 43 digs, five blocks, two service aces, and a .100 attacking percentage. The Cardinals finished with 49 kills, 47 assists, 55 digs, nine blocks, three aces, and a .300 hitting percentage.
 
Vs. Chicago State
USI lost their sixth-straight set one in this gauntlet road stretch, 17-25. The USI senior duo of Downing and Sobieralski combined for a textbook block to tie the set at seven. The Cougars countered with a dominant 10-1 scoring run that was the difference in set one.
 
Chicago State's early run buried the Eagles in a two-set deficit, 21-25. Six straight powerful Cougar kills sent the Eagles scrambling into a 12-5 hole. 11 dimes from Sobieralski helped the Eagles get within three points. However, the early hole proved to be unrecoverable.
 
The Eagles put all the pieces together in set three, winning 25-21. Senior leader, Downing erupted for her best set of the season giving the Eagles an early 12-10 lead with three kills and two blocks. Chicago State added a 9-3 run on the back of setter Wiktoria Zagummy who finished with 45 assists. Sophomore Leah Coleman (Hoover, Alabama) came alive firing home three kills as USI took a 21-19 lead after the 6-0 run. USI has struggled to finish sets lately but switched the script earning the final three points to win set three. Moore perfectly placed two service aces to conclude the set.
 
USI was over matched in set three as the Cougars tallied 19 kills opposed to the Eagles nine, losing 18-25. Anderson, Coleman, Downing, Sobieralski, and Willis smashed kills to build a 11-8 lead. USI struggled to stop the Cougars scoring in bunches as they finished on a 17-7 run to conclude the match.
 
Willis led the Eagles in kills at ten for the fourth match this season, while Sobieralski set up the Eagles for 34 assists. Moore earned a team-high 19 digs and Downing swatted four blocks for the second straight game.
 
As a team, USI finished with 43 kills, 40 assists, 57 digs, seven blocks, two service aces, and a .140 attacking percentage. The Cougars finished with 61 kills, 53 assists, 68 digs, 12 blocks, six aces, and a .244 hitting percentage.
 
What's Next
After a nine-game road stretch, USI returns to Evansville for three matches next week. First, USI travels across town to Meeks Family Fieldhouse to take on University of Evansville on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Next, the Eagles host the USI Invitational at Screaming Eagles Arena against UE on Friday at 6 p.m. and IU Indianapolis on Saturday 4 p.m.