UE takes on Murray State on Saturday
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A complete team effort by the University of Evansville volleyball team on Friday saw the Purple Aces improve to 9-1 with a 3-0 victory over Cleveland State in the Dunn Hospitality Tournament.
Eleven Evansville players recorded a dig, nine contributed a kill and eight registered a block in the winning effort. Alondra Vazquez recorded a match-high nine kills while Giulia Cardona added eight. Taya Haffner registered 23 assists while Cecilia Thon posted 11. UE finished with ten service aces, led by three from Hannah Watkins. Madisyn Steele tallied five block assists to lead all players.
Set 1
Evansville came out on fire in its home opener, taking an 11-3 lead. A pair of kills from Melanie Feliciano and Alondra Vazquez, coupled with a kill from Blakeley Freeman, propelled the Aces attack. Cleveland State was unphased by Evansville’s start, rallying to score eight in a row to tie it up. Chelsea Penfield completed the run with a pair of service aces. Following a timeout, Feliciano got the Ace s back on track. Madisyn Steele added a kill that helped the Aces respond with six in a row. From there, UE cruised to the 25-15 win. Vazquez had five kills in the frame.
Set 2
Game two saw the Purple Aces jump out to a 5-0 edge with Cardona picking up two kills and Brooke Springer adding her first of the night. After the Vikings made it an 8-4 game, Evansville countered by reeling off six of the next seven points to go up 14-5. Laura Ruiz had back-to-back service aces in the run. With the Aces closing in on a 2-0 lead, Elise Moeller picked up two kills to lead her team to a 25-10 win.
Set 3
Cleveland State opened game three on a 3-1 stretch before Evansville tied it up at 4-4. The Vikings remained close, trailing by a 12-10 tally before the Aces slowly took control. Chloe Bontrager picked up a kill that gave UE a 15-11 lead before consecutive Moeller kills pushed the lead to 19-13. Hannah Watkins put the finishing touches on the night with three service aces to give Evansville a 25-15 win and a 3-0 match sweep.
