Aces close out regular season on Saturday at Missouri State
 CARBONDALE, Ill. – Closing in on their second Missouri Valley Conference Championship berth in three seasons, the University of Evansville volleyball team defeated Southern Illinois by a 3-0 final on Friday evening in Carbondale.
Alondra Vazquez excelled in every facet of the game, leading the Purple Aces (19-9, 9-8 MVC) with 14 kills. She added 7 digs, 3 assists and a pair of service aces. Giulia Cardona finished the evening with 13 kills and 2 aces while Melanie Feliciano recorded 7 kills. Blakeley Freeman registered a team-high 11 digs while Taya Haffner finished with 31 assists.
The Salukis (5-25, 0-17 MVC) were led by 9-kill performances from Tatum Tornatta and Alex Washington.
Set 1 – UE 25, SIU 19
Each team had a turn in the lead early in the opening set, but with the score tied at 8-8, a Giulia Cardona kill began a 3-0 stretch that would put UE in the lead for good. Cardona finished the run with an ace. The Salukis remained close, cutting the deficit to 14-12 before a kill by Alondra Vazquez began another 3-0 run. Evansville finished the set with a 25-19 win with Vazquez tallying the clinching kill.
Set 2 – UE 25, SIU 18
A 5-2 stretch by the Aces began the second frame with Taya Haffner capping off the start with her first ace of the match. SIU got within a pair at 7-5 before kills by Laura Ruiz and Kate Tsironis stretched the lead to 14-9. Southern Illinois was not deterred by the deficit as a UE error helped the close the gap to 17-16. Evansville countered with a 4-0 run that saw Melanie Feliciano pick up a kill. From there, the Aces took a 2-0 match lead with a 25-18 decision.
Set 3 – UE 25, SIU 17
Southern Illinois wrested away an 8-6 lead in the opening moments of the third set before Evansville tallied three in a row to go in front. With UE holding a 12-11 lead, they would change the course of the set by reeling off six points in a row. Following a Vazquez kill, the Aces forced consecutive Saluki errors to extend the lead to 15-11. Following an SIU time out, Cecilia Thon continued the run with an ace before the lead grew to 18-11. Evansville continued to add to the lead down the stretch, earning the 19th win of the season on the strength of a 25-17 decision.
