ROLLA, Mo. – After two weekends of tournament play to begin their fall 2021 season, the Missouri S&T volleyball team opens up Great Lakes Valley Conference action this Saturday at 3 P.M. as they welcome the University of Southern Indiana to Gibson Arena.

Saturday's game will be S&T Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day at Gibson Arena, with all faculty and staff members -- along with their immediate families -- being admitted free to the 3 P.M. contest.
 
The Miners (6-2) come into conference action after another 3-1 weekend at the UIndy Invitational. S&T picked up three wins to open the weekend, knocking off (RV) Wheeling 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23), Bemidji State 3-2 (18-25, 25-20, 25-10, 22-25, 15-11) and the host Greyhounds 3-2 (28-26, 14-25, 13-25, 25-23, 15-10) before falling to then 14th-ranked Winona State in straight sets (17-25, 16-25, 18-25).
 
Payton Gannaway (Lawrence, KS/Lawrence Free State) recorded 20 or more kills in each of the three wins and leads the team with 129, a mark which is also second in the GLVC. Gannaway leads the Miners with 18 service aces, a mark which leads the conference. Jordan Burton (Olathe, KS/Olathe South), the other Miner with over 100 kills at 111, recorded 14 or more kills in each win in Indianapolis, with 16 against Bemidji State and ranks fourth in the conference in kills entering the weekend. Hannah Merjil (Bakersfield, CA/Garces Memorial) eclipsed the 200-assist mark for the season and enters GLVC play with 214 for the season, coming off a season-high 48 against the Beavers. Katarina Seres (Belgrade, Serbia/Ninth Gymnasium) is also in triple-digit assists with an even 100 through eight matches, posting 19 in last weekend's win over Wheeling. Kiernan O'Boyle (Kansas City, MO/St. Teresa's Academy) has been a force defensively up front for S&T, recording 32 total blocks, third-most in the GLVC, while Shelby Ply (Rolla, MO/Rolla) has been in on 28 blocks, with Gannaway adding 12 more. Meiko Pearson (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley Northwest) has a team-leading 2016 digs, which also ranks among the top of the GLVC.
 
The Screaming Eagles (6-2) received votes in this week's AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll following a 4-0 weekend at the USI Invitational last weekend, defeating Alabama-Huntsville, Davis & Elkins and Wayne State (Mich.) in straight sets while defeating UMSL 3-1. USI went 2-2 on opening weekend at the West Florida Springhill Suites Invitational against, losing to then #23 Wheeling and UWF, while beating Palm Beach Atlantic and Spring Hill College. The Screaming Eagles open GLVC play on Thursday hosting Maryville before making the trek west to Rolla Saturday.
 
Leah Anderson leads the team with 85 kills and 15 service aces, and is coming off a season-high 15 kills against Wayne State. Katherine Koch is not far behind with 71 kills and also has 55 assists this season. Three other players for USI have 50 or more kills through eight matches in the early going. Casey Cepicky ranks fourth in the GLVC with 261 assists and has recorded 30 or more assists in five of eight matches, including 61 against Wheeling to open the season. Callie Gubera leads the Screaming Eagles with 113 kills and is one of five players with 60 or more digs, while Sydney Hegg is tops on the team with 26 blocks, just four ahead of Taylor Litteken who isn't far behind with 22 blocks.
 
Last spring when the two team met in Gibson Arena, the 12th-ranked Screaming Eagles picked up a 3-1 win. Jordan Burton (Olathe, KS/Olathe South) led S&T with 16 kills, Meiko Pearson (Overland Park, KS/Blue Valley Northwest) recorded 16 digs, Kiernan O'Boyle (Kansas City, MO/St. Teresa's Academy) finished with six blocks and Hannah Merjil (Bakersfield, CA/Garces Memorial) dished out 35 assists.
 
S&T's last win in the series came on October 19 during the 2018 season on the road in Evansville, as the Miners collected the win in straight sets.