UE to face Drake, UNI and Bradley
 Over the next four nights, the University of Evansville volleyball team will take on three Missouri Valley Conference opponents inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Action begins on Friday evening against Drake before #21 UNI comes to town on Saturday. The stretch will be completed on Monday as Bradley comes to town. All three matches begin at 7 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to bring donations for the team’s hurricane relief drive with everyone going to Puerto Rico, which was impacted by Hurricane Maria. Those who make a supply donation will receive $2 off of their ticket on Friday or Saturday.
Heading into the third weekend of MVC action, the Purple Aces stand at 6-10 overall and 0-4 in the league. Last weekend, the Aces began with a hard-fought 3-2 loss at Southern Illinois before falling by a 3-0 final to Missouri State on Saturday.
Rachel Tam set career highs in kills (27) and attempts (79) in the Aces road tilt at Southern Illinois last Friday. Her kill total was the most for a UE player since Oct. 24, 2015. Her 79 attempts was second-most for an MVC player this year, just behind Lily Johnson’s 88 against Illinois earlier this season. It was also a program record. Tam is 9th in the MVC with 3.14 kills per set.
Continuing her efficient season last weekend was Cathy Schreiber. In the 5-set contest against the Salukis, Schreiber had 17 kills in a career-high 40 attempts while hitting .325. For the season, she is hitting .277, which is tied for the 10th-best season in program history and is 10th on the MVC list for this season. It is the highest mark since Rachel TenHoor’s record season of .321 that she hit in 2013. Schreiber is second on the team with 2.47 kills per game.
Drake has gotten off to a great start in 2017, going 15-3 in its first 18 contests. The Bulldogs are also a perfect 4-0 in the conference including wins over Bradley and Illinois State last week. Natalie Fry is the #3 hitter in the conference, starting the weekend at .340 while Kyla Inderski is 6th in the conference with 3.46 kills/game.
Standing at 14-4 overall and 4-0 in the league, UNI is ranked 21st in the nation. Heather Hook ranks third in the nation and tops in the MVC with 11.21 assists per set. The Panthers rank in the top five in the NCAA in team digs, team kills, team assists and team attacks. They have also taken on six ranked opponents in 2017, defeating four (#10 Nebraska, #18 USC, #19 Missouri and #19 Iowa State).
On Monday, UE welcomes Bradley to Meeks Family Fieldhouse. The Braves start play this weekend at 7-12 and 0-5 in the conference as they host Valparaiso and Loyola before coming to Evansville. Erica Haslag paces the conference with 4.36 kills per game.
