OXFORD, Ohio- University of Southern Indiana volleyball splits the double header in the first day of the Miami/Best Western Invitational, taking down the host Miami University in four sets.

Junior Ashby Willis and freshman Aysa Thomas both earned double-doubles in each game today. Thomas tallied 75 assists, and Willis 39 kills over the two games.

Against Duquesne:

Set 1: DU 25, USI 23
The Screaming Eagles came out strong against Duquesne, tying the score in the first set seven times. Junior Ashby Willis recorded nine kills in the first set, the most she's had in a single set this season. She led the court in kills and hitting percentage at .438, having just two errors.

Set 2: USI 25, DU 20
The second set was neck and neck, with eight tie scores and four lead changes. The Screaming Eagles took the final lead in the last seven points to take the set. Senior Bianca Anderson hit four kills on four attempts, hitting 100 percent. Willis tallied five more kills, along with freshman Aysa Thomas sneaking in two kills to help her offense. The Eagles hit the best team percentage of the game for either side in this set at .424 percent.

Set 3: DU 26, USI 24
The third set was a battle from start to end, with 19 tie scores and 12 lead changes. Anderson led the team with six kills, followed by junior Leah Coleman, who tallied four. Senior Keira Moore picked up six digs to lead the Eagle defense.

Set 4: DU 25, USI 19
The Eagle defense fought hard in the final set, with three players having four digs, Willis, along with liberos Audrey Small and Keira Moore. Anderson and Thomas defended the net with two blocks each.
For the game, two Eagles finished with double-doubles. Willis tallied 19 kills and 10 digs, marking her second double-double of the season. In her first double-double of her career, Thomas recorded 28 assists and 12 digs.
 
Against Miami (OH):

Set 1: USI 25, Miami 16
The Screaming Eagles dominated the RedHawks in the first set, holding them to a -.024 hitting percentage. Three Eagles finished the set with four kills each, dished out by freshman setter Thomas who had 12 assists.

Set 2: USI 25, Miami 22
After a rocky start to the set, the Screaming Eagles fought back to take the second set. Fighting to take the lead back at 18-17, USI finished strong, going 7-3 for the rest of the set. Junior McKenzie Murphy added two more kills to the board, setting a new season-high at six kills. Willis put down six more kills to lead the court.

Set 3: Miami 23, USI 25
USI's defense was a challenge in the third set, out-digging and out-blocking the RedHawks. The Eagles put up five total team blocks, led by Murphy. Leading the back court was sophomore Kerigan Fehr, who picked up six digs in the third set, adding to her new career-high 15 digs for the night.

Set 4: USI 25, Miami 22
Willis led the Eagles at the net with eight kills, followed by Murphy and Anderson with three each. As a team, USI hit their best hitting percentage in the final set at .256, with just six errors. Thomas added 14 assists, her highest in a set.

For the game, Thomas and Willis both earned their second double-double of the day. Thomas set a new career high in assists with 47, connecting with three of her hitters on double-digit kills. She also tallied 10 digs. Willis tallied a career-high 20 kills and 15 digs.

The Screaming Eagles dominated at the service line, with seven aces, led by Anderson, who had a career-high of three.

The Eagles' defense was a momentum changer tonight. At the net, the team had 17 total blocks, led by Anderson with nine, followed by Murphy, who had eight, each earning career highs. Four Eagles picked up double-digit digs, led by libero Audrey Small who had a season-high 24 digs.

To get updates tomorrow (9/13) as the Screaming Eagles take on Middle Tennessee State at 11 a.m. CT, fans can follow USI Athletics on Facebook, Instagram, and X for game coverage and online at usiscreamingeagles.com.