Aces face tough road match
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A 4-game road trip continues for the Purple Aces as they make the short trip to Carbondale to take on Southern Illinois. The Salukis are currently second in the MVC and Saturday’s match will begin at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
Last weekend, the Aces fought Indiana State to the end, coming up just short in five sets. Rocio Fortuny posted 16 kills and 11 digs. She was one of five to notch ten or more digs. Joselyn Coronel kept the offense rolling with 23 assists.
Coronel has split time at the setter position and had one of her best efforts in the 5-set match against the Sycamores. Coronel set her career mark with 12 digs while falling just two shy of her top tally with 23 assists. She has averaged 2.49 assists per set in her time as the setter.
Erlicia Griffith finished non-conference play as one of the top blockers in the country and regained her form against the Sycamores. She had her top MVC game as the registered six block assists and a pair of solo blocks to go along with six kills. Her season average is currently 1.16 per frame, second in the conference. Her total is on pace to be the highest for the Purple Aces since Meaghan Holmes averaged 1.17 per set in 2012. Griffith had a career-best five solo blocks against Jacksonville State. Her top match came against SEMO where she had 2 solo blocks, 9 block assists and a total of 11 for the match. She also set her mark with seven kills in that match.
With 2.86 kills per set, Mildrelis Rodriguez continues to lead the squad. She has recorded at least eight in each of the last five matches while also hitting a solid .175 on the season. Earlier this season against Jacksonville State, she set career marks with 20 kills in 61 attempts.
For the fourth time this season, the Purple Aces finished with at least 13.0 total blocks as they hit that mark against the Sycamores. As a team, UE had 22 block assists and a pair of solo blocks. Griffith led the way with six block assists and was responsible for both solo efforts.
One of the top teams in the Missouri Valley Conference – Southern Illinois comes into Saturday’s match with a 15-7 overall mark and stand at 6-2 in the conference. The Salukis are second in the league, just a half game behind Wichita State, who is 6-1. Offensively, SIU ranks second in the MVC, hitting .247 with Kolby Meeks and Alex Rosignol sitting in the top five in the conference. Rosignol is also the top blocker in the conference, sitting at 1.20 per set.
