EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (6-8, OVC 1-1) closes out their five-game home stand hosting University of Tennessee at Martin (2-9, OVC 0-2) on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The Screaming Eagles hit the road on Thursday (6 p.m.) and Friday (4 p.m.) to battle the Eastern Illinois University Panthers (4-8, OVC 0-2) in Charleston, Illinois.

Tuesday night is Mental Health Awareness Night at Screaming Eagles Arena as promoted by the OVC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). This night is dedicated to removing the stigma surrounding mental health discussions in today's society. USI invites all attendees to wear green to support mental health awareness.
 
Coverage
USI's matches will be 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
OVC Opener Split against SEMO. The Eagles fell on Friday night in four sets (25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 22-25) but bounced back on Saturday to split the two-game series (23-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-20) with the preseason number one team Southeast Missouri State University. Junior Bianca Anderson dominated from a variety of different angles with 33 kills at 4.13 kills per set in both games. Saturday's win marked the first over SEMO as a D1 program. USI cleaned up the errors significantly on Saturday with only 21 compared to Friday nights 37. The Eagles improved their attack percentage from .122 on Friday to .291 on Saturday. USI showed the conference they are capable of competing at the top of the league this year.
 
Digging Into the Record Books. Former Castle product, junior Keira Moore is inching towards surpassing 1,000 career digs as enters Tuesday with 973, needing 27. She currently sits at 15th in the USI record books. In 2023, Moore earned 498 digs which was the fifth best single season mark in USI history. Senior Abby Weber surpassed the mark in the first weekend as she currently sits at 11th with 1,089 career digs.
 
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. For the second time, USI had five different attackers tally double-digit kills on Saturday. Four different USI attackers have over 100+ kills in sophomore Ashby Willis (138), graduate senior Jasmine Green (132), sophomore Leah Coleman (128), and Anderson (137). Senior Paris Downing trails right behind with 87 proving any Eagle can take over on any given night making the USI incredibly tough to prepare for as an opposition.
 
Sobieralski's Season High. Senior Carly Sobieralski was on fire Saturday with 58 assists, helping the Eagles finish with a .291 hitting percentage. She finished the weekend with 93 assists at 11.63 assists per set and 27 digs. The senior ranks seventh all-time in assists at 2,282.
 
USI Individual OVC Ranks. Downing ranks third in the league in hitting percentage at .321 and seventh in blocks per set at 0.98. Moore ranks ninth in digs per set at 4,08 and sixth overall with 212 digs. Sobieralski's 9.67 assists per set ranks third and second overall with 503 total assists.
 
Set Trends. USI's achilles heal this season has been coming out slow. The Eagles have dropped 11 out of 14 first sets being outscored 342-295. However, the Eagles fight back as Saturday's win marked the second time USI has lost set one and bounced back to win three-straight sets. Saturday also marked the fourth time this season USI has won three-straight sets. The Eagles have outscored their opponents in the second (324-314), fourth (189-174), and fifth (25-24) sets.
 
About UT Martin. The Skyhawks were picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll as they start the season 2-9 overall and 0-2 in the OVC. UT Martin's non-conference slate featured wins against Grambling State University and Arkansas-Pine Bluff University. They fell in both matches at University of Arkansas at Little Rock in their OVC opening weekend, 0-3 and 1-3. No Skyhawks were selected preseason All-OVC Team. However, senior libero Dylan Mott was UT Martin's OVC Player to Watch who leads the way with 200 digs. Mott is second in the league in digs per set at 5.00. Freshman outside hitter standout Kylie Surratt leads offensively with 108 kills, along with senior Jenna Vallee with 97 kills right behind. Defensively, four different Skyhawks have earned double-digit blocks as Addy Vaughn leads the way with 18.
 
About Eastern Illinois. The reigning Ohio Valley Conference champs will enter play with the Eagles on Thursday at 4-8 overall and 0-2 in OVC play. The Panthers challenged themselves with non-conference wins against University of Memphis, Jackson State University, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and Austin Peay State University. EIU opened OVC play at Lindenwood University, dropping both matches in three sets. Junior Preseason All-OVC selection Catalina Rochaix has been held out only playing five matches this season has been a tough blow for the Panthers. OVC Preseason Player to Watch Kaitlyn Flynn leads the Panthers offensively with 97 kills.