Aces to be back home on Monday against SEMO
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – After missing the opening weekend of play, sophomore Rocio Fortuny had a pair of strong matches as the University of Evansville volleyball team played in the SIU Edwardsville Tournament on Saturday.
Fortuny was named to the All-Tournament Team as she notched a total of 17 kills in the two matches. Green Bay topped the Purple Aces (0-5) in game one before the host Cougars grabbed a 3-0 triumph in the late game.
“It was another weekend of touch opponents where we put ourselves in good situations to win every set we played but could not hold on,†UE head coach Manolo Concepcion said. “We will continue to work on our ball control and get ready for Monday.â€
It was Deja Clark pacing the squad in the opening match of the day, recording 11 kills as the Aces gave Green Bay everything they could. Megan Powers led the Phoenix with 12 kills of her own. Defensively, the Aces were stellar, recording a total of 34 blocks. Junior Erlicia Griffith and Clark had eight apiece while Cathy Schreiber finished with seven. Olivia Goldstein recorded 15 digs while Mildrelis Rodriguez and Joselyn Coronel also hit double figures.
Clark got Evansville off to a great start as she had a pair of kills in a 6-0 run to begin the match. Green Bay got within three at 13-10, but a Phoenix error saw Evansville cap off a 4-0 stretch to go up 17-10. That is where the defining run came. Trailing 19-13, Green Bay made a miraculous run, scoring nine of the next 11 points to take a 22-21 lead. The Aces were able to tie it up at 24-24 before the Phoenix took the win, recording the final two tallies.
In the second frame, seven ties led to a 7-7 score before Green Bay went on a 12-4 stretch to go up 19-11. Much in the fashion the Phoenix did in game one, Evansville made a late rally. Trailing 23-18, Rachel Tam began a 5-0 stretch with a service ace. Clark also had two kills in the rally. After a time out, Green Bay was able to regain its composure and score the final two points to take the win and go up 2-0.
Another 6-0 start saw Evansville jump out to the early advantage in the third game, but 17-3 run by the Phoenix was too much for the Aces to overcome. Green Bay went up 17-9 and held off another furious late UE rally to clinch the match at 25-21.
Fortuny and Rodriguez were the Aces’ top performers in the match against the Cougars. Each finished with eight kills while Rachel Tam checked in with six.
SIU Edwardsville opened up a 10-4 lead in the opening set. Their lead extended to 20-13 before the Aces made a run. Evansville took advantage of four errors while Rodriguez posted a kill to bring UE within a pair at 20-18. The Cougars rebounded with a run of their own, finishing the set by scoring the last five points to take a 1-0 lead.
Game two saw the Cougars get off to another nice start, outscoring UE 12-5 in the opening stretch. This time, they were able to hold that lead, winning by a final of 25-16. The Aces had a great start to the third set, scoring six of the opening seven points. Rocio Fortuny had four kills in that stretch. SIUE hit its stride as they made their way back to take their first lead at 13-12 on a Dylynn Otte kill. From that point, they pulled away for a 25-17 win to clinch the match.
Monday will mark the home opener for UE as the Purple Aces welcome Southeast Missouri State. Game time is at 6 p.m. inside the Carson Center.
