November 16, 2008
Eagles fall to Lewis in championship match,
Tournament run comes up one win short
GLVC Tournament Championship
at #25 Lewis (31-7): 3
Southern Indiana (18-15): 0
Line Score: 25-14, 25-17, 25-22 (Box Score)
ROMEOVILLE, Ill.—The University of Southern Indiana volleyball team posted a pair of upset victories this weekend to make it to their sixth Great Lakes Valley Conference championship match since 2000, but a third upset win was not in the cards as the Screaming Eagles suffered a 25-14, 25-17, 25-22 loss to No. 25 Lewis University Sunday.
USI (18-15) simply ran into a buzz-saw Sunday as the Flyers (31-7), the host for this year's tournament, hammered down 45 kills and hit .284 to capture their third straight GLVC Tournament crown.
The Eagles held a slim lead in the first set, but a 5-0 run gave the Flyers a 6-2 lead and momentum. Lewis continued to push points, claiming a 17-10 advantage later in the frame before finishing the opening game with an 8-2 run to claim a 1-0 lead in the match.
USI opened the second stanza with a 7-2 run and looked like it was poised to get itself back into the match. The Flyers, however, used an 11-1 run to reclaim the lead and turn momentum back into their favor.
The Eagles cut into Lewis's 13-8 cushion, closing the gap to two points with a 3-0 spurt, but a 9-1 push gave Lewis a 22-12 edge. Still, the Eagles battled back to cut into Lewis's lead and build momentum for the third set before the Flyers eventually settled for the eight-point win and commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
USI inched out to a 12-10 lead in the third frame, but Lewis used a 5-1 run to take control of the third set. Lewis built its lead to 20-16 later in the set, but a 3-1 run forced the Flyers to call a timeout.
The timeout paid dividends for the Flyers as they won the next three points to reach match-point at 24-19, but they could not collect the final point until USI reeled off a 3-0 spurt to make things interesting.
 |
Margaret Buschman |
 |
Courtney Bealor |
