EVANSVILLE, Ind.- The University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles opened the 2025 season with tough losses to Valparaiso and Saint Louis in the USI Invitational at Liberty Arena. Two freshmen earned their first college starts, setter Aysa Thomas and right-side Carley Wright, making a big impact on the court.

AGAINST VALPO: 

Set 1: Valpo 25, USI 21
Thomas was responsible for the first two points of the Screaming Eagle's season, after scoring two aces to begin her college career. Wright was the next freshman to make a difference in her debut, tallying four kills from the right side in the first set.

Set 2: Valpo 25, USI 21
OVC Player to Watch, junior outside hitter Ashby Willis shined in the second set, leading the court with seven kills. The Eagle defense held the Beacons to their lowest hitting percentage of the game at .184, by tallying 20 digs. Sophomore Kerigan Fehr (7) and Senior libero Keira Moore (6) led the effort from the back line.

Set 3: Valpo 25, USI 19
Thomas maintained a consistent offense, dishing out 11 assists. She connected on four kills with Willis, and three each to her middles senior Bianca Anderson and junior middle hitter McKenzie Murphy.
 
For the match, Thomas made significant impact in her debut game, leading the court with 33 assists. Willis finished the match with 14 kills, hitting .324 percent. As a team the Screaming Eagles' defense picked up more digs than Valpo 51-46.
 
AGAINST SLU:

Set 1: SLU 25, USI 22
The Screaming Eagles started strong against a dynamic Saint Louis team. In a back and forth start, USI pushed to 15 points first. Wright continued her solid debut with three kills in the first set, led by Willis marking four.

Set 2: SLU 25, USI 19
McKenzie Murphy got on the board, connecting on two kills from the middle. In her first time in a USI libero jersey, sophomore Audrey Small tallied six digs in the second set keeping the SLU offense to their lowest hitting percentage of the game (.212).

Set 3: SLU 25, USI 23
USI fought their way back from a seven-point deficit in the third, keeping the final score within two points. Anderson, Wright, and Willis led the offense, each landing three kills.

For USI's second match of the day, Wright beat out her previous game best for kills that she set earlier against Valpo, finishing with nine. The team combined for 32 kills, 44 digs, and 27 assists, in a hard-fought loss against the Billikens.

Next up for the Screaming Eagles is Northern Kentucky to finish out the USI Invitational. The matchup will kick off Saturday at 2 p.m. in Liberty Arena.