EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana is back at Screaming Eagles Arena for the first time in the 2024 season hosting the USI Invitational against University of Evansville on Friday at 6 p.m. and newly branded Indiana University Indianapolis on Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
Friday's rematch with Evansville features multiple promotions as the first 100 students receive a free t-shirt along with the first 100 fans. All fans will have the opportunity post-game to meet the players for a poster signing. Tables will be set up in the lobby of Screaming Eagles Arena shortly following the match to go through the line and meet the Eagles. Friday night is also a White Out as we look to break our current Volleyball Screaming Eagles Arena attendance record of 375 fans! 
 
Game Coverage & Tickets
The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+ if your unable to make it. Live video and statistical updates will be provided by @USIAthletics socials. Admission to Screaming Eagles Volleyball matches are free courtesy of Pro Rehab.
 
USI Headlines
Tuesday's Winning Notes. USI won round one of two against the Aces on Tuesday night, 3-1. The win marked the first over UE as NCAA Division I programs. The Aces swept USI in 2022, won in four sets in 2023, making the series history 1-2 in division I play. USI rattled off three straight sets victories after falling behind. The Eagles outscored the Aces 75-58 after the first frame loss.
 
Set Trends. USI's achilles heal this season has been coming out slow. The Eagles have dropped nine out of ten first sets being outscored 249-199. However, the squad has bounced back 50% of the time winning five second sets.
 
Breakout Freshman Performance. Freshman Libero/Defensive Specialist Layla Gonzales have shown improvement and built confidence game by game as Tuesday night boasted a career high. Gonzales showed no fear of the moment defensively with a season best 12 digs.
 
Offensive Leaders Green and Willis. Two massive transfer additions lead the Eagles in kills. Sophomore Ashby Willis joins the Eagles from Purdue University Fort Wayne where she earned All-Horizon Freshman team in 2023. The six foot outside hitter is a force on both sides leading the squad in kills (97), third in digs (107), and third in blocks (17.00). Tuesday night marked her best night as a Screaming Eagle with 15 kills. Grad transfer Jasmine Green joins USI after a four-year career at Bradley. Green instantly became a team-leader for the Eagles in team huddles along with constantly displaying high energy on the court. Green recorded a career high 19 kills in her second game at USI.
 
Controlling the Middle. Middle hitters senior Paris Downing and Bianca Anderson have played pivotal roles recently for the Eagles. Downing leads the Eagles in attacking percentage at .259 and total blocks (30.0). 13 of those blocks have come in the past three games. Anderson has the ability to take over matches at any point in time as she smashed five straight kills against the Aces in set two, finishing with a season high 15 kills. 
 
Dropping Dimes. Senior setter Carly Sobieralski continued to dominate on Tuesday night vs. UE, tying her season high in assists at 49 in only four sets. Sobieralski improved set by set with a match-high 14 assists in the last frame. She also contributed defensively with 13 digs tallying her seventh double-double of the season.
 
Career Milestones. Senior Abby Weber will be recognized on Friday for eclipsing 1,000 career digs in the opening weekend at Bradley University. Sobieralski earned another monumental achievement at Indiana University passing 2,000 career assists. 1,472 of her current 2,098 assists have come in 2023 and 2024 at 35.9 assists per game as junior and senior. The Castle product junior Keira Moore is inching closer to the 1,000 digs club with 911 entering Friday.
 
Spreading the Wealth. Sophomore Leah Coleman, Downing, Anderson, Green, and Willis all tallied at least eight kills on Tuesday night along with five different USI defenders added double-digit digs from Gonzales, Moore, Sobieralski, Weber, and Willis.
 
Competing in Hostile Environments. USI vs. UE brings an electric environment every year. The Eagles tough schedule has presented raucous crowds. The match against University of Florida included 4,308 fans in Gainesville. On Friday, IU packed the stands with a huge student section with 1,767 fans in total. USI looks forward to finally playing in front of their own supporters as Screaming Eagles Arena current volleyball attendance record is 375 fans. USI hopes to eclipse this mark this weekend.
 
About Evansville. This marks the fourth meeting between the Eagles in Aces as NCAA Division I program as UE owns the 2-1 advantage. The Aces have struggled in 2024, going 1-9 against some tough opponents. The Aces return 12 players from the 2023 team, including reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Giulia Cardona. Cardona currently leads the Aces offensively by a landslide, with 152 kills (4.61 KPS) and a team-leading 97 digs. UE also relies on sophomore setter Lexi Owen who leads the way in assists at 201 (7.44 APS). On Tuesday, UE was led by Cardona with 25 kills and 12 digs. Friday's match should be tight as the Purple Aces look for revenge.
 
About IU Indy. The Jaguars rebranded as an institution from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis into IU Indianapolis in July. They come into play at 5-6 riding a two-game win streak beating Rider University and Indiana State University. The Jaguars played a familiar opponent in SIUE at the beginning of the year winning in five sets. IU Indy is led by a sophomore transfer from San Jose State University, Elle Patterson who has 134 kills and 108 digs this season. Sophomore setter Grace Purichia is another impact player with 380 assists in 11 games. The Jaguars took last year's matchup, 3-1 as the Eagles trail 5-6 in the all-time history.