Rachel Tam notched a game-high 16 kills to lead the University of Evansville volleyball team to a 3-2 victory over Indiana State on Friday night inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Tam’s 16 kills came in 40 attempts as she hit .225 for the Purple Aces (9-13, 3-7 MVC). Cathy Schreiber added 12 kills and had another spectacular hitting game, finishing the night at .417. Mildrelis Rodriguez posted eight kills and 16 digs while Erlicia Griffith registered 7 kills, five block assists and a solo block. Cassie Brooks had a game-high 22 digs and four service aces and Allana McInnis ran the offense efficiently, recording 30 assists.
“Since the beginning of the match, there was a feeling we were going to find a way to win. You could feel it and see it on the girls’ faces. It was an up and down match for both sides, but we were always on top of it,†UE head coach Manolo Concepcion said. “Multiple players stepped up and contributed. Schreiber and Rodriguez stepped up when it mattered most and closed the game. Having Erlicia have the type of game she had alongside Joselyn made the opponent change their offense. Overall, I can say that as long as we continue to find ways to win, we are going to be fine.
ISU (7-15, 5-5 MVC) was led by Laura Gross, who notched 12 kills. Cassie Kawa and Nikkie White had 1 apiece.
It was all Aces in the opening moments as the squad jumped out to a 5-1 lead before extending the advantage to 8-2 as Rachel Tam notched a pair of early kills. A pair of service aces continued the early success. The first by Cassie Brooks gave UE an 11-5 lead before Mildrelis Rodriguez added one of her own to make it a 16-8 game. The Sycamores cut the deficit to as little as three at 20-17 before the Aces found their groove once again, earning a 1-0 lead with a 25-19 win.
In game two, the Sycamores gained the upper hand. After opening up an early 6-2 advantage, ISU added to the lead from there, hitting double figures for the first time at 20-10 before finishing with a 25-12 decision to tie the match at 1-1. Laura Gross notched three kills in the frame.
Game three looked like it would go Indiana State’s way again as they took a 9-3 lead. A Cathy Schreiber kill, coupled with two more kills from Tam got UE back into it. In a rally capped off by Joselyn Coronel and Tam notching a block assist, the Aces got within three at 10-7. After ISU pushed its lead back to six points at 17-11, the Aces closed in once again as a bad set by the Sycamores saw the Aces make it a 17-14 game. Indiana State was able to end the UE rally and counter to finish with a 25-19 decision.
After trailing early in the second and third sets, the Aces got it going early in set four, opening up a 5-1 lead. Erlicia Griffith had a great stretch, posting a kill and solo block as UE extended the edge to 10-3. Later, Adeline Payne notched a kill to give UE a double-digit lead at 21-11 as the Aces forced a 5th set with a 25-14 win.
Mildrelis Rodriguez started game five off with a kill before two Sycamore errors gave the Aces a 3-0 start. Back-to-back service aces from Brooks made it a 6-1 game. The lead reached six tallies at 11-5 before ISU made one final run, getting within three at 12-9. Tam came up big once again, halting their momentum with her 16th kill of the night. At the end, it was Schreiber with the deciding kill in a 15-11 win to finish the match.
Up next for the Aces are home contests against Southern Illinois and Missouri State next weekend at Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
