EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball is set to host Eastern Illinois University in its Ohio Valley Conference home opener Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. in Liberty Arena, home of the Screaming Eagles.

Friday's match is Dig Pink Night, to support breast cancer awareness. Fans are encouraged to wear pink, and the first 400 fans in Liberty Arena will get a free breast cancer awareness bracelet. The first 50 students will receive an Archie's Army crossover bag.

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 return home in search of their first OVC win after a series on the road at Morehead State, falling to 0-2 in conference play in the opening weekend.

In the first match at MSU, the Eagles came in strong for a dominant 25-15 first set, which ended with a 10-point serving run from senior Bianca Anderson. While losing the match, USI managed to put up 14 blocks as a team, the highest total in a game for USI since 2023. The blocks were led by junior McKenzie Murphy, who contributed a career-high 10 total.

Over the two games, the offense production was led by junior Ashby Willis, who recorded 17 kills, followed by fellow junior Leah Coleman and freshman Carley Wright, who each had 15.

Two-time OVC Setter of the Week honoree, Aysa Thomas, dished out 47 assists, 32 digs, and nine blocks in her first OVC series. The freshman led the team in digs, breaking her previous career-high by two digs for 17 total.
 
About Eastern Illinois:
The Panthers have started their season 8-4, landing them second in the OVC standings after the first weekend of conference play. Their most recent wins were against Lindenwood, who was picked to finish second in the conference. Eastern Illinois senior Catalina Rochaix was named the OVC Setter of the Week for her performance against Lindenwood, tallying 90 assists for 11.25 per set, with 18 digs and six kills. Sophomore libero Ariadna Pereles tallied 37 digs in the Lindenwood series. The former OVC Defensive Player of the Week ranks second in the conference for digs. Sophomore Destiny Walker leads the Panthers in kills for the season, recording 33 in the recent series and 167 in the season.

EIU leads the series 5-2 against USI. However, the Eagles have the most recent win, sweeping the Panthers in the 2024 season 3-0.

To get updates as USI Volleyball hosts its first OVC opponent in Liberty Arena, fans can follow USI Athletics on Facebook, Instagram, and X for game coverage and online at usiscreamingeagles.com.