Four UE seniors honored prior to match
Sophomore Rachel Tam recorded 13 kills and Cassie Brooks had 22 digs, but Loyola was able to finish off a 3-0 victory over the University of Evansville volleyball team on Saturday night at Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Tam’s 13 kills came in 33 attempts. She also had five digs. Brooks led everyone with 22 digs while Mildrelis Rodriguez had 11 for the Purple Aces (10-18, 4-12 MVC). Allana McInnis had 25 assists. Quinn Spieker was the leader for the Ramblers (4-23, 3-13 MVC) as she tied Tam’s game-high of 13 kills.
Prior to the match, the four seniors – Erlicia Griffith, Jelena Merseli, Montana Schafer and Cathy Schreiber – were recognized for their contributions to the program throughout their careers.
The Aces got off to a nice start, taking a 3-0 lead before Loyola rallied to tie it up at 4-4 before taking their first lead at 9-7. A pair of kills by Rachel Tam helped the Aces tie it right back up at 9-9 before Rocio Fortuny posted a kill to put Evansville back up by a 14-11 score.
Two service aces courtesy of Loyola’s Alex Nunez helped them retake the lead at 16-15. They added to it, going up 23-18 before winning by a 25-19 final. Tam had five kills in the set.2-0
Carrying their momentum from game one, the Ramblers scored the first four tallies of the second frame. Mildrelis Rodriguez got UE on the board with a kill, but Loyola was able to push its lead back out to 9-5. Tam came through once again as a pair of kills helped UE tie it up at 9-9 before grabbing the lead at 11-10. Loyola had the answer once again; already up 15-14, they reeled off nine in a row before grabbing a 2-0 match lead with a final of 25-17 in the second game.
Cassie Brooks notched a service ace to give the Aces an early 5-4 lead in game three, but the Ramblers made their way back into it, taking a 15-13 edge but two Rodriguez kills saw the lead go back into the Aces hands at 17-16. UE was able to push its lead to a pair at 21-19, but a late rally by the Ramblers gave them a 24-22 lead. Down to their last point, the Aces notched two in a row to tie it up, but Loyola was able to fend off the challenge and take game three, 29-27.
Regular season play comes to an end next weekend as the Purple Aces travel to Bradley and Illinois State.
