EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Volleyball hits the road for the first time of the 2026 season to take part in the Georgia Tech Classic in Atlanta, Georgia.
 
The Screaming Eagles will kick off road play, taking on the host team, the Georgia Institute of Technology, on Friday, September 4^th at 3 p.m., which will be streamed on ACCNX. Then USI will wrap up the first day of games by playing Campbell University at 6 p.m. To close out the first set of road games, the Screaming Eagles will match up against Xavier University on Saturday at 12 p.m.
 
USI is looking to build on a successful first weekend, after finishing 2-1 in the USI Invitational with wins over Murray State University and Northern Illinois University.
 
Senior Ashby Willis was named the Ohio Valley Conference's first Offensive Player of the Week for the 2026 season for her first-weekend performance, which landed her on the USI Invitational All-Tournament Team. The outside hitter tallied 54 kills (4.91/set) to lead the conference. Willis hit a game-high of 19 kills against Eastern Michigan.
 
Sophomore Aysa Thomas earned the first OVC Setter of the Week honor after dishing out 113 assists (10.27/set) in the first three games to lead the OVC. Thomas tallied 39 digs and nine kills to round out her all-around play. The setter tabbed her first double-double of the season with 36 assists and a team-high 22 digs in the match against EMU.
 
Libero Audrey Small ran the Screaming Eagle back row with a conference-high 48 digs and 4.36 per set. The junior's leadership has landed USI in third place for digs per set with 17.73/set in the country. Small also tallied her first double-double as a USI player against EMU with 19 digs and 11 assists.
 
Fifth-year Aspen Jankowski made her USI debut against EMU, landing three aces, and came off the bench in the sweep over NIU to tally another three aces. She leads the conference with six aces through the first weekend.

This weekend's slate consists of match ups against three 2025 NCAA tournament teams, the first of five total for USI's 2026 season, marking the most on a schedule in USI's DI years.
 
About Georgia Tech: To open play on the road for the first time of the season, the Screaming Eagles will take on the Yellow Jackets for the first time in program history, also marking the first match up against an ACC opponent. Georgia Tech opened its 2026 season undefeated (3-0), with wins against the University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State University, and Loyola University. Last season, the Yellow Jackets ended their season with a 16-14 overall record and an 11-9 ACC record. Georgia Tech capped its season with a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth year in a row. Head Coach Michelle Collier enters her 13^th season at the helm, with 237 wins under her belt.
 
About Campbell: Marking the first meeting in program history, USI will match up against Campbell University in the Friday evening game in the Georgia Tech Classic. The Camels opened their season at the K-State Invitational (1-1), bringing home a win against Texas A&M-Corpus Cristi and a loss to Kansas State. Campbell is coming off the best season in school history, finishing with a 23-7 record, where they claimed the CAA Championship title. They took on reigning national champion Texas A&M in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. The Camels return nine players from last season and bring in eight newcomers.
 
About Xavier: To close out play in Atlanta, the Screaming Eagles will face the Xavier Musketeers in the first meeting of the two programs. The match up includes a family connection, as USI setter Thomas' older sister Quinci Thomas is a senior outside hitter for the Musketeers. Xavier started its season with a loss to No. 4 Pittsburgh in the AVCA First Serve Tournament, then traveled to South Bend, Indiana, for the Notre Dame Tournament, losing to Ball State University and earning its first win of the season over Notre Dame. The Musketeers finished last season with a 26-5 overall record, going 14-2 in the Big East, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they were swept by the University of Michigan.  Head Coach Christy Pfeffenberger returns for her 12^th season and returns two All-BIG EAST honorees with middle blocker McKinley Boehm and setter Macy Hatkevich.
 
The Screaming Eagles will close out Labor Day weekend hosting the first top-25-ranked team in the Division I era as No. 21 Indiana University comes to Liberty Arena on Monday, September 7^th at 3 p.m.
 
For updates on the Screaming Eagles throughout the first road trip, follow USI Athletics and usivolleyball on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and online at usiscreamingeagles.com.