UE set for pivotal weekend on the road
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – A pivotal road trip awaits the University of Evansville volleyball team this weekend when the Purple Aces travel to Illinois State and Bradley. UE opens on Friday evening against the Redbirds at 6 p.m. before traveling to Peoria to take on the Braves at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Last Time Out
– Giulia Cardona recorded 18 kills, 13 digs and 5 service aces to lead the Aces to a 3-1 win over SIU on Monday evening
– UE took the first two sets before a tenacious Saluki squad pulled away in the third frame to take their first set of the night…in the fourth, the Aces clinched the match with a 25-16 decision
– Melanie Feliciano had 15 kills while Alondra Vazquez recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 15 digs
– A stellar outing saw Taya Haffner set career marks with 4 kills and 4 blocks while adding 37 assists and a pair of aces
Top Freshman
– After adding five service aces to her season tally against SIU, Giulia Cardona moved into the top ten in the nation in that statistic
– With a conference-leading 0.52 aces per set, Cardona now ranks 9th in the nation and is the top freshman in the country with her average
– Cardona won three consecutive MVC Freshman of the Week honors between Oct. 11 and 25 and was the first player to win three freshman awards in a row was Illinois State’s Stef Jankiewicz in 2017
Contributing in all Facets
– Monday’s win over Southern Illinois saw freshman Taya Haffner set career marks in a pair of categories – kills and blocks
– She posted 4 kills and 4 block assists – her top season tally in both
– Her assist numbers continue to add up as she continues to pace the league with 11.00 per set while sitting 14th nationally
– After reaching 50 helpers for the first time in the contest at Drake, Haffner reset her career high with 56 in the home match versus Loyola
– Averaging 10+ assists on 15 occasions this fall, Haffner has recorded at least 37 helpers in 10 consecutive matches
Moving On Up
– Madisyn Steele continues to rack up assists at an impressive level, totaling a solo block and 9 block assists over the last two matches
– Steele’s season average has jumped to 0.86 per set, which is second on the team
– Over her previous 59 sets of work, Steele has registered 4 solo blocks and 51 block assists
