Aces to face nine postseason squads from 2021
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – From start to finish, the 2022 University of Evansville volleyball schedule features a new level of excitement as the Purple Aces look to take the next step forward.
Featuring matches against nine teams who participated in the 2021 postseason, the 2022 slate is one that UE head coach Fernando Morales hopes will prepare his team for the challenges of the Missouri Valley Conference.
“After a great season in 2021, we have higher and harder goals this fall and we worked to schedule our non-conference matches according to those goals,†Morales stated.  “We will have a progressive schedule, closing at Baylor and Michigan State. This will us for the MVC, which we know is one of the toughest in the nation.  We are excited and ready for the season to start.â€
On Friday, August 26, the season opens with a trip to Huntington, W.Va. for the Marshall Invitational. UE is set to face Wright State, South Carolina State and Marshall in its opening weekend. The Raiders are coming off the best season out of the group, posting a 23-8 mark last season.
Home play opens on August 30 when the Aces welcome USI to Meeks Family Fieldhouse. The Screaming Eagles are set for the first season at the Division I level as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. In their final campaign at the Division II level, USI won 18 matches. The second non-conference tournament of the year has the Aces traveling to the Golden Eagle Invite, which is hosted by Tennessee Tech. Set for September 2-3, the event includes Tennessee Tech, Northwestern and Western Carolina. UE returns home on Sept. 6 for its second and final home non-conference match against Tennessee State.
In one of the biggest tests the program has ever seen, Evansville treks to Waco, Texas for the Baylor Classic on Sept. 9-10. UE will face Baylor, Arizona State and Colorado State in the tournament. The Bears completed the 2021 season with a 22-6 mark while finishing 10th in the final national rankings. Baylor has advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. With a 14-4 record in the Mountain West Conference last fall, the Rams were the regular season champions. They were 19-11 overall and played in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
Non-conference play comes to an and a week later with a trip to the Green & White Classic, which is being hosted by Michigan State. Aside from the host Spartans, UE will take on Chicago State and Oakland. CSU won 17 matches a season ago on the way to the NIVC.
Right off the bat, the MVC slate will provide a challenge as defending conference champion Illinois State comes to Evansville on Sept. 23. The Redbirds were 19-14 overall and 13-5 in the league. Following the opener, UE welcomes another 2021 postseason squad – Bradley. Coming off a 16-14 record, the Braves played in the NIVC in 2021.
For the first time as members of the MVC, the Aces face Belmont (9/30) and Murray State (10/1) to open the road conference schedule. Following home matches versus Southern Illinois and Missouri State, UE faces a challenging stretch that includes seven out of nine matches on the road between Oct. 10 and Nov. 5. Drake and UNI are the lone home matches on Oct. 21 and 22. The Aces take on the third new member of the league – UIC – on Oct. 29. The Flames were 20-12 last season and won the Horizon League Championship. They were matched up at Louisville to open the NCAA Tournament.
Following the Nov. 5 road match at Southern Illinois, UE returns home for its final three regular season matches. Evansville welcomes Murray State and Belmont on Nov. 11-12 before closing the year with Indiana State on the 16th. For the first time in program history, the Aces will host the Missouri Valley Conference Championship at Meeks Family Fieldhouse. It is set for Nov. 20-23.
