This weekend, the University of Evansville volleyball team continues it Missouri Valley Conference schedule as the Purple Aces head to Southern Illinois and Missouri State.
UE takes on the Salukis on Friday evening at 7 p.m. on The Valley on ESPN3 before traveling to Springfield, Mo. on Saturday for another 7 p.m. contest.
Conference play began last weekend for the Purple Aces as they fell to Indiana State on the road in five sets on Friday before dropping a 3-0 decision to Illinois State on Monday at Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
In the match-up at Indiana State last week, freshman Allana McInnis set her career mark with 54 assists at Indiana State. It was the most for a Purple Aces player since Jelena Merseli registered 62 against Bradley last year. The effort surpassed her previous high of 48 set against Chicago State in the season opener. McInnis ranks 7th in the MVC with 8.04 assists per set.
Freshmen Cassie Brooks and Allana McInnis have made a huge difference this season for the Purple Aces. Brooks ranks in the top ten in the league with 4.13 digs per set while McInnis is 7th in the conference in assists. Brooks has helped Evansville improve its dig total from 12.73/set last season to 15.82 in 2017. McInnis has done the same in the assist category. In 2016, the Aces posted 9.09 per set with this year’s total checking in at 10.52.
Cathy Schreiber has been the definition of efficiency this season, hitting .279. That tally puts her 10th in the MVC. Her season total of .290 is the highest for an Evansville player since 2013 when Rachel TenHoor hit .321 over the course of 29 matches. Schreiber is coming off of a great effort at Indiana State as she hit .429 with 19 kills in 35 tries with just four errors. Schreiber is second on the team with 2.41 kills per set. Her total of 19 at ISU was the most in her career.
Weekend play opens on Friday evening at Southern Illinois. The Salukis stand at 3-11 overall, but picked up a pair of conference wins last weekend over Bradley and Valparaiso with a loss coming against Illinois State. Andrea Estrada and Maggie Nedoma lead SIU with 2.37 and 2.33 kills per game, respectively.
Saturday’s match will feature a trip to Springfield, Mo. to take on Missouri State. The Bears are currently 11-5 overall and got off to a perfect 3-0 start in league action last weekend, defeating Illinois State, Bradley and Loyola. Lily Johnson paces the Bear offense with an average of 4.17 kills. MSU is also the top hitting team in the league, entering the weekend at a league-best .241.
