UE set for challenging campaign in the fall
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Just five months following a unique spring season, the University of Evansville volleyball team will be back on the floor in August to embark on what should be a more traditional fall campaign.
Evansville now offers digital, mobile ticketing that allows fans to buy tickets ahead of time. Single game tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for youth and seniors and can be purchased here (https://gopurpleaces.com/sports/2021/6/23/volleyball-single-game.aspx). Fans can also purchase season passes for men’s soccer for $55, available here (https://gopurpleaces.com/sports/2021/7/27/volleyball-season-pass.aspx).
“We are very excited about this year’s schedule and going back to a full season. Our student-athletes have been working hard all summer to be ready for next season,†UE head volleyball coach Fernando Morales exclaimed. “We were able to book a very competitive pre-conference schedule to get us ready for the MVC games. As we all know, our conference is a very tough volleyball league and we want to get our players ready when we start playing the Valley opponents.â€
Four non-conference tournaments will see the Purple Aces challenged early and often. Each of UE’s first four opponents are coming off of spring seasons that saw them go .500 or better. A trip north to the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational commences the season on August 27. SIU Edwardsville will be the first opponent. The Cougars went 10-4 in a shortened spring. Opening day wraps up with an afternoon match versus Kent State, who is coming off of a 12-9 showing. On the 28th, Evansville wraps up the tournament against Purdue Fort Wayne, who was 10-7 in 2021 and has posted three consecutive seasons over the .500 mark.
In one of its toughest matchups of not just preseason play, but the entire year, the Aces face Morehead State in the opening tilt of the Eagle Challenge in Morehead, Ky. on September 3. The reigning Ohio Valley Conference champions were 172 in the spring and defeated Creighton in five sets for their first NCAA Tournament win. UE finishes the day against Radford before facing Cleveland State, who was 9-7 earlier this year, in the third and final match of the weekend.
Evansville is back on the road on Sept. 10-11 at the Miami (Ohio) Invitational where the team faces Northern Kentucky, Middle Tennessee State and Miami. NKU has recorded a winning record in each of the last three years, including a 9-5 mark in the spring. Day two opens against the Blue Raiders before the Aces take on the RedHawks. Miami has reeled off seven consecutive seasons with a winning mark while earning two Mid-American Conference crowns and three NCAA Tournament berths along the way.
Following a road match at Tennessee State on the 14th, the Aces open the home slate with the Dunn Hospitality Tournament on Sept. 17-18. Day one will feature a 1 p.m. contest versus Liberty and a 7 p.m. match with Cleveland State. In a 3 p.m. game on Saturday, the Aces welcome Murray State, who has been on a roll since 2014. Prior to a 5-11 mark in the spring, MSU won three OVC championships between 2014 and 2018 and went 27-3 in 2015.
Missouri Valley Conference action comprises the remainder of the schedule. As was the case in January of 2021, UE opens conference action with a trip to Terre Haute to face Indiana State on Sept. 24. The teams split their matches in the spring. That will be followed by a road swing to Loyola and Valparaiso to open the month of October.
Evansville will host three home matches in a span of five days with Bradley and Illinois State playing on Oct. 8-9 before Missouri State heads to Evansville for a midweek matchup on the 12th. Later that week, the Aces trek to Iowa to face UNI and Drake before returning home for their next four matches. During that span, the Aces face Indiana State (10/23), Valparaiso (10/29), Loyola (10/30) and Southern Illinois (11/1).
Four of the final six games are on the road, starting with a swing through Illinois to face the Redbirds (11/5) and Braves (11/6). Home play comes to an end on the weekend of Nov. 12 when the Aces face Drake and UNI before traveling to Southern Illinois and Missouri State to complete the regular season.
