University of Southern Indiana Athletics

EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball dropped a five-set battle to open the series against Morehead State University on Friday evening, moving to 1-2 in Ohio Valley Conference play and 6-9 overall for the season.
 
SET 1: USI 25, MSU 18
The Screaming Eagles opened the match with a strong performance. Sophomore Carley Wright tallied seven kills on just one error to hit a .750 efficiency. USI kept pressure on the net, putting up three blocks to hold the MSU offense back. Five Screaming Eagles picked up at least three digs, led by junior libero Audrey Small with six.
 
SET 2: MSU 25, USI 21
It was a point-for-point battle until Morehead St. pulled away in the final five points. Wright tallied another three kills, but the team struggled with errors, hitting just a .000 in the set. Junior Kerigan Fehr picked up five digs, followed by Small's four. Senior Ashby Willis made her presence known, adding two kills, an ace, and a big solo block.
 
SET 3: MSU 25, USI 23
The Screaming Eagles outside hitters ramped up their offensive production in the third set, as Willis tallied six kills, and freshman Aubrey Fair came off the bench to land five kills. Sophomore Aysa Thomas dished out 15 assists, mounting a balanced offense that hit a .204 for the frame. Small and Wright carried the defense in the back row with six digs each.
 
SET 4: USI 27, MSU 25
In the most competitive set of the match that saw extra points, the two teams battled through 16 tie scores and eight lead changes.  In her best set of the night, Willis landed nine kills and picked up another six digs to lead the court in both categories. Thomas dished out 17 assists, helping her offense to the most efficient of the match with a .227 hitting percentage.
 
SET 5: MSU 17, USI 15
It was another back-and-forth battle to end the match, with six lead changes in the short 15-point set that went to extra points. Fair, Willis, and Wright each tallied three kills to run the Screaming Eagles offense. Willis picked up eight digs and put up a block to help the defensive effort.
 
As a team, the Screaming Eagles recorded a season-high 103 digs, led by Willis with 23 and Small with 21, each marking individual season-highs. Fehr tallied a season-high 16 digs, and Thomas contributed 17.
 
Freshman Fair ended her night with a career-best 13 kills. Willis completed her 10^th double-double of the season with 21 kills, and Wright marked a double-double with 20 kills and 17 digs.
 
Setter Thomas dished out a season-high 55 assists, just one off her career-high, along with two kills and two blocks. Sophomore Mackenzie Nettles got her hands on five of the team's eight blocks during the match.
 
The Screaming Eagles close out the first home conference series of the 2026 season against Morehead State tomorrow afternoon for the Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Out match inside Liberty Arena at 2 p.m.
 
For updates on the series finale, fans can follow USI Athletics on Facebook, Instagram, and X for game coverage, as well as online at usiscreamingeagles.com.