EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball is set to kick off the 2026 regular season this Friday and Saturday, August 28^th and 29^th, hosting the USI Invitational inside Liberty Arena.
 
The Screaming Eagles will take on three opponents over the two days, starting with Murray State University at 1 p.m., then Eastern Michigan University at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Then play will continue Saturday afternoon against Northern Illinois University at 2 p.m.
 
Admission to all USI Invitational games and all USI Volleyball home games this season will be free courtesy of ProRehab.
 
USI looks to continue the success of the 2025 season, when it finished with a 19-13 overall record and a 14-4 Ohio Valley Conference record. The season marked the best conference finish and the most DI wins in a season in school history. USI ended the 2025 run with a tough four-set loss at the OVC Tournament semifinal game against Morehead State University. The Screaming Eagles plan to build on the momentum they built last season with 12 returning players and three newcomers.
 
Senior outside hitter and one of this year's team captains, Ashby Willis, returns nearly 30 percent of USI's total kills from last season. The First-Team All-OVC honoree tallied 428 kills for 3.54 per set in her junior season, ranking third in the conference. Willis is also a defensive asset, tallying 354 digs and 58 blocks overall last season.
 
The OVC's reigning Freshman of the Year, Aysa Thomas, returns to the court for her sophomore season this year. Thomas is also USI's second returning all-conference player, as a member of the Second Team All-OVC in 2025. The setter tallied 1,125 assists for 9.30 per set, ranking third in the OVC in her first college season. As a captain this season, Thomas looks to build on her balanced all-around play, as she recorded the second most digs on the team last season (391), 79 kills, 43 blocks, and 22 aces.
 
Two Screaming Eagles were named to the OVC's Players to Watch List, junior Audrey Small and sophomore Carley Wright. Small, who ranked third in the OVC for her 530 digs and 4.49 digs per set. She recorded a career-high 36 digs in the regular-season finale at WIU, which is the third most in a game by a USI player in school history. Wright, who was a part of the All-Tournament team for her 28 kills in the two tournament games, tallied a total of 256 kills for 2.56 per set.
 
Head Coach Jeffrey Aucoin begins his fourth season at the helm for USI with a 42-51 overall record and a 27-27 conference record.
 
EYES ON THE OPPONENTS
About Murray State: To open the 2026 season, the Screaming Eagles will take on the Murray State Racers. The two programs have a long history, dating back to September 1989, with six more matches played since. The Racers hold a 7-0 record in the series over the Screaming Eagles, with the most recent in a three-set sweep in 2023. Murray State finished with a 4-21 record in the 2025 season, with a 2-14 Missouri Valley Conference record. The Racers return eight of their 15 players from last season and are under the direction of a new head coach, Tristyn Krzos.
 
About Eastern Michigan: In the second game of the season, the Screaming Eagles will take on EMU on Friday at 7:30 p.m., marking the first time the two schools meet. EMU ranks second in the country for most newcomers, with 14 new players, returning six from the 2025 roster. EMU has a couple of key returners hitting the court. The first is libero Surabhi Srinivasan, who ranked seventh in the MAC for 386 digs in the 2025 season and 3.48 per set. The team's key offensive returner is sophomore AshleeKay Christensen, who averaged 2.50 kills per set. EMU posted a 13-18 overall record and 5-13 in conference play in the 2025 season.
 
About Northern Illinois: For the final match of the opening weekend, USI will take on Northern Illinois in a match up that has only met one previous time, in September 2022, when NIU swept the Screaming Eagles. The Huskies return five of their 15 players from 2025, one of their key returners being junior outside Ava Grevengoed, who tallied 300 kills and 243 digs last season. NIU finished with a 13-14 overall record last season, going 6-12 in the MAC. This marks the school's first season as part of the Horizon League.
 
For updates on the Screaming Eagles throughout the first weekend of play, follow USI Athletics and usivolleyball on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and online at usiscreamingeagles.com.