UE set for three weekend matches
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With Missouri Valley Conference play set to open next week, the University of Evansville volleyball team completes its non-conference slate at the Green & White Classic. UE faces Chicago State on Friday before taking on Oakland and Michigan State on Saturday. All three matches will be carried by Big Ten Plus and a subscription fee is required to view.
National Rankings
– Since the start of the 2022 season, multiple UE players have been near the top of the national statistical rankings
– Freshman Kora Ruff has accumulated 372 assists, which ranks 14th in the NCAA
– Giulia Cardona continues to rack up the aces at an impressive rate – her total of 22 is 8th in the nation while her average of 0.56 per set is 36th in the country and tops in the MVC
 Top Three in Efficiency
– With a season hitting tally of .368, Madisyn Steele sits in third place in the MVC
– Steele hit .588 in the last two outings versus Arizona State and #15 Baylor…she recorded 10 kills in 17 attempts with no errors
– Over the last five matches, Steele is hitting an impressive .418 with 26 kills in 55 tries with just three errors
– She has posted at least three kills in all 11 matches thus far and checks in with an average of 1.44 per set
– On the defensive side, Steele recorded at least one block in all but one match and set her season mark with 5.0 total blocks against Big Ten foe Northwestern…she paces the UE regulars with 0.72 per game
Still Putting up the Numbers
– While injuries have impacted the UE offense, freshman Kora Ruff continues to put up solid assist numbers
– With a season total of 372 helpers, Ruff is 14th in the nation
– Her average of 9.54 assists per set remains 5th in the Valley
– Ruff’s top assist tally came in the opener against Wright State where she registered 45 assists along with a season mark of 10 digs on the way to her first UE double-double and has a pair of 2-kill efforts thus far
– She had three service aces in the sweep at Marshall and has a season total of seven
– Defensively, Ruff has chipped in 1.95 digs per set and has chipped in at least 5 digs in 9 out of 11 matches
Leading the Offense
– With two of her teammates out, Giulia Cardona has been the primary offensive weapon for the Aces in recent weeks
– She tallied nine or more kills in each of the first 10 matches of the season and is 6th in the MVC with an average of 3.67 per set
– Between Sept. 2 and 6, she posted 18 kills in three consecutive matches, which calculated to an average of 4.5 per set during that span
– Last year’s MVC leader in service aces paces the league once again with 0.56 per set and a total of 22 (36th in the NCAA)
– She became the first player in program history to earn one of the MVC specialty awards when she was named the 2021 MVC Freshman of the Year
 Long-term Goals
– This weekend, Evansville will be without the services of two of their top weapons – Alondra Vazquez and Melanie Feliciano
– Both are battling injury but are on track to return when the Aces open Missouri Valley Conference play on September 23
– In their absence, the younger players will have the opportunity to play against top competition while gaining valuable experience heading into the league slate
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