UE hosts Drake and UNI this weekend
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Missouri Valley Conference play begins for the Purple Aces, who host Drake and UNI on Saturday and Sunday before making the trek out to Wichita State for a Monday evening match. All three contests will be carried live on The Valley on ESPN3 and will each begin at 7 p.m.
A trip to the Gamecock Invitational completed non-conference action last weekend as the Purple Aces (4-9) had their best weekend of the season. Following a 3-0 loss to Kennesaw State, UE picked up a 3-2 victory over UL Monroe to wrap up the opening day. On Saturday, the Aces fell in a hard-fought match against Jacksonville State before finishing the tournament with a solid 3-1 win over Nicholls State.
Junior Cathy Schreiber had her best weekend since returning from injury as she was named to the Gamecock Invitational All-Tournament Team. Schreiber notched 28 kills in four matches over the weekend, an average of 1.65 per set. She hit a team-high .328 while posting four solo blocks and five block assists. In a 3-2 win over UL Monroe on Friday, Schreiber hit .438 with 8 kills in an exciting victory. The top effort of her comeback in 2016 came versus Jacksonville State as she notched 11 kills and had three block assists. She hit .308 in the match. Schreiber wrapped up the weekend with 8 more kills and two solo blocks against Nicholls State.
Freshman Rachel Tam has gotten better each and every week and that culminated in a total of 44 kills, 60 digs and 5 blocks at the Gamecock Invitational. She started the week with six kills and 14 digs versus Kennesaw State before setting her career mark with a game-high 18 kills and 15 digs in a 3-2 win over UL Monroe. Tam added 11 kills and a career-best 19 digs against Jacksonville State before completing the weekend with 9 kills and 12 digs in a 3-1 win over Nicholls State.
Drake enters MVC action with a 9-5 record, but have fallen in three of their last four matches. The Bulldogs lost to Weber State by a 3-1 final last time out at the Western Illinois Tournament. The top defensive team in the Valley has allowed opponents to hit just .161. Grace Schofield and Kameo Pope ranks second and third in the MVC in service aces.
Currently standing at 9-5 overall and 0-1 in the MVC, the Panthers opened league play on Sept. 16 with a 3-2 home loss to Illinois State in their home tournament. Since then, the Panthers have swept their last three opponents – Northwestern, Syracuse and North Dakota State. Heather Hook leads the way in the conference with 11.17 assists per set while Kayla Haneline is fourth in the conference, averaging 3.40 kills per set.
On Monday, the Aces travel out to Wichita State, who enter conference play with a 9-4 mark. They open MVC action on Friday at Missouri State. The Shockers are winners of three of their last four matches, including a 3-0 victory over Texas Tech last weekend in San Antonio. WSU features one of the top hitters in the league as junior Abbie Lehman is second in the MVC, hitting .420.
