Aces drop hard-fought match
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Montana Schafer had the best outing of her career, posting 11 kills, but Drake was able to hang on in the end, earning a 3-2 win over the University of Evansville volleyball team at the Carson Center on Friday evening.
Schafer was one of four Purple Aces (4-10, 0-1 MVC) in double figures in kills. Rocio Fortuny set her career mark with 17 while Mildrelis Rodriguez finished with 16. Rachel Tam had a solid night, notching 13 kills. On the defensive side, the Aces were stellar as five finished in double digits in digs. Olivia Goldstein set her career mark for the second weekend in a row, posting 22. Rodriguez notching 19, Tam had 18, Fortuny checked in with 13 and Jelena Merseli notched 10. Merseli also tied her career high with 48 assists.
Pacing Drake (10-5, 1-0 MVC) was Kyla Inderski, who had 19 kills. Grace Schofield finished the night with 13.
Evansville was on fire to start the night, taking a 4-0 lead in the first set. Drake got within one at 7-6, but UE held strong, extending its advantage to 17-13. Rachel Tam had a service ace in the run. The Bulldogs kept fighting and took their first lead of the night at 18-17 on a Grace Schofield kill, but the Aces held strong, going back up 20-19 before a Fortuny kill gave them a 24-22 lead. Just when it seemed like the Aces were on the verge of a win, Drake had one more rally left as a kill from Kyla Inderski sent DU on a set-ending 4-0 run and a 26-24 triumph.
The Aces refused to let the loss in the opening frame phase them, showing great maturity in rally for a 25-19 win. Drake had the upper hand early on, taking a 9-5 advantage, but Evansville kept it close. Trailing 17-15, UE turned it on. Another Tam kill began a stretch that saw UE outscore Drake by a 10-2 stretch to earn the win. Tam was the star the second game, notching five kills while hitting .444.
Another close battle ensued in the third game. The Aces seemed to be in good shape as a Fortuny kill gave them a 16-13 lead, but Drake battled back. An 11-3 run saw the Bulldogs looking good, up 24-19, and having a chance to take a 2-1 lead. Rachel Tam and the Aces had other ideas. Tam did the serving as UE finished the set on an unbelievable 7-0 run to grab a 2-1 lead of its own. Fortuny had two kills in the run and Cathy Schreiber added another as the Aces made the improbable comeback.
Drake put its best foot forward in the fourth game, earning a 25-16 win to force a deciding 5th set. Evansville jumped out to a 3-1 lead and extended it to 8-5 before Drake scored four in a row to go up 9-8. Fortuny put UE back on top, recording her 17th kill of the night to make it an 11-10 game. The Bulldogs countered with a run of their own, hanging on for the 15-13 win to clinch the match.
Tomorrow night, the Aces are right back in action against UNI. Game time is 7 p.m. inside the Carson Center.
