Mildrelis Rodriguez and Rachel Tam posted 14 kills apiece as the University of Evansville volleyball team gave it everything they had but came up just short in a 3-1 loss to Ohio State on Friday afternoon in the Flyer Invitational.
After dropping the opening set by a 25-16 final, UE (6-5) picked up the second one by a 25-19 final. The Buckeyes (10-1) took the third game by a 25-17 final before clinching the match with a 25-20 triumph in the fourth set.
Days after setting her career mark with 60 assists against Austin Peay, Allana McInnis led all players with 33. Olivia Goldstein paced the Aces with her 10 digs. In her second match of the season, Alondra Vazquez notched 8 kills while Kerra Cornist finished with six.
Despite falling into an early 9-1 hole, the Aces were able to hang tough for the remainder of the first set. Rachel Tam and Mildrelis Rodriguez notched four kills apiece in the frame as UE was able to cut the deficit to six points on a few different occasions. A late 3-0 rally by the Buckeyes made the difference, pushing them to a 25-16 win to open the day.
OSU scored the first three tallies of the second set, but the Aces came right back with three of their own, including an Olivia Goldstein ace. The first lead of the match came for UE when an Ohio State error gave them a 7-6 edge. Evansville continued to play well, extending their lead to as many as four points at 13-9. Rodriguez was pivotal in the run, registering three kills in a row.
The Buckeyes battled back and retook the lead at 16-15, but the Aces rallied back and the teams tied and the teams posted four ties leading to an 18-18 score. That is when the Aces defense took over, forcing three consecutive errors to go up 21-18. UE was able to pull away from there for the 25-19 win to knot the match.
In the third game, Ohio State led throughout, but the Aces never let them get too far away. Their lead remained at three points – 15-12 before OSU made a late push. They notched seven of the next ten points before pulling away to pick up the win by a 25-17 final.
Game four featured another battle to the finish. After OSU jumped out to an early 7-4 advantage, the Aces reeled off five points in a row to go up by a 9-7 score. Goldstein did the serving in the rally. The Buckeyes responded with a run of their own, posting six in a row to go up by a 13-9 margin. That run was part of a 12-2 stretch that saw them turn a 9-7 deficit into a 19-11 lead.
UE never gave up as a Vazquez ace cut the gap to just three points at 21-18 before OSU was able to finish the match with a 25-20 triumph in the fourth set.
