University of Southern Indiana Athletics

EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball opens series hosting the University of Tennessee at Martin with a challenging five-set loss (3-2) on Thursday evening inside Liberty Arena.
 
With the loss, the Screaming Eagles move to an overall record of 9-13 and 4-6 in Ohio Valley Conference play.
 
SET 1: USI 25, UTM 21
The Screaming Eagles came out strong in the opening set against the Skyhawks. Senior Ashby Willis led the team with five kills, followed by the middles Vita Sensenbrenner and Mackenzie Nettles, who each added three. Junior libero Audrey Small picked up six digs to lead the back row efforts.
 
SET 2: USI 25, UTM 20
USI took a comfortable lead early in the set to claim a two-set advantage. Sophomore Aysa Thomas dished out 11 assists, snuck two kills over, and picked up five digs to tie with Small in the back row efforts. Outsides Willis and Aubrey Fair added four kills each to make up the USI offense.
 
SET 3: UTM 25, USI 22
The Skyhawks bounced back in the third, taking control of a back-and-forth score late in the set. Senior Jillian Moonan ramped up her offense, hitting five kills on no errors for a .625 hitting efficiency to lead the team. Thomas dished out a total of 14 assists, and Small tallied another five digs.
 
SET 4: UTM 25, USI 21
UT Martin took an early lead, leaving USI to trail for the duration of the frame. Willis landed six kills, and Fair trailed with five on no errors. The two outsides combined for the team's best hitting percentage of .297 of the match.
 
SET 5: UTM 15, USI 13
In the tiebreaker set, the Screaming Eagles and the Skyhawks battled point for point with five tie scores and three lead changes. Fair completed her career-high night, adding four more kills to her 15 total for the match. Small picked up six digs, followed by Thomas with three.
 
For the match, defending OVC Defensive Player of the Week, Small recorded a season-high 25 digs. Moonan marked a career-high with nine kills, and she hit a .471 hitting efficiency.
 
Leading the USI offense was Thomas, who dished out 53 kills, connecting with Willis for 19 kills, Fair for 15, and Nettles for seven.
 
The series against the Skyhawks will continue tomorrow at 6 p.m. back inside Liberty Arena, fans can follow USI Athletics and usivolleyball on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and online at usiscreamingeagles.com for updates on the match and the rest of the 2026 season.