EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball is back in Liberty Arena Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. for two Ohio Valley Conference matchups against the University of Arkansas Little Rock.  
 
Friday's match is Mental Health Awareness night, where fans are encouraged to wear green to support the importance of mental health. Admission to the two games and all USI Volleyball home games this season will be free courtesy of ProRehab. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ for subscribers.
 
The Screaming Eagles are coming off a tough-fought series at Southeast Missouri State University, where they split the series, taking both matches to a fifth set. USI won the first match 3-2 in their first five-set challenge of the 2025 season, completing a reverse-sweep against the Redhawks.
 
For her performance in the SEMO series, setter Aysa Thomas was named the OVC Freshman of the Week for the second time in a row. Thomas recorded 98 assists, 45 digs, and four aces against the Redhawks. She picked up a career-high 26 digs in game two, helping the Eagles to their first triple-digit dig match (101) since the 2024 season opener.
 
Tying Thomas' 26 in digs in match two at SEMO was sophomore libero Audrey Small. Leading the team in digs per set on the season at 4.13, Small has helped the Eagles move to second in the NCAA for 17.92 per set.
 
Leading the offense for the Screaming Eagles at SEMO were juniors Ashby Willis and Leah Coleman. Willis recorded 42 kills in the series, while Coleman tallied 29. Coleman made a big impact in the fifth set of the SEMO win, landing six kills in the 15-point set. Freshman Carley Wright set a career-high 13 kills in the second game, bringing her series total to 24 kills.

Scouting the Opponent:
Little Rock, which currently remains undefeated in OVC play after winning its first six conference games, sits at the top of the OVC standings. Little Rock is on its best OVC start since the 2014 season. In their last two matches, the Trojans completed a series sweep of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, dropping just one set to the Cougars. Friday's match marks the seventh time USI has met Little Rock. The Trojans lead the series 4-2, taking the last two matches in four sets.
 
Leading the Trojan offense is junior outside Bella Cherry, who has tallied 221 kills so far in 2025, averaging a hitting percentage of .158. Cherry tallied 23 kills in the SIUE series. In the back row, junior libero Andrea Roman leads the OVC with 340 digs and 5.15 digs per set. Roman picked up 35 digs in the SIUE series. Head Coach Van Compton is in her 38^th season at Little Rock, holding a 598-520 record.
 
To stay updated on USI Volleyball's Mental Health Awareness match in Liberty Arena, fans can follow USI Athletics on Facebook, Instagram, and X for game coverage, as well as online at usiscreamingeagles.com.