Aces face Samford and North Alabama
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Up next for the University of Evansville volleyball team is a trip south to Birmingham, Alabama for the Samford Invite. The Purple Aces open against host Samford on Friday at 7 p.m. before playing North Alabama on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Last Time Out
– Tuesday’s home opener against the Aces defeat crosstown squad USI by a 3-1 final inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse
– Giulia Cardona registered a match-high 19 kills with Emilee Scheumann contributing 11
– Freshman Ainoah Cruz has led UE in digs in all three matches and posted her top tally of 20 in the win over the Screaming Eagles
– Evansville won the first two sets (25-22, 25-19) before USI was victorious in the third game by a 25-23 final
– In the fourth game, the Aces fended off a late challenge to clinch the match with a 25-23 decision
Player of the Week
– Highlighted by a career-best 28 kills against Central Michigan, Giulia Cardona was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Monday
– It was the second time Cardona has earned the accolade
– After recording 19 kills versus USI, Cardona continues to pace the MVC with 5.08 kills per set; her average is 11th in the country
– She is second in the league and 10th nationally with 0.92 service aces per game
Clutch Performance
– Providing the leadership that is needed from a senior, Emilee Scheumann played a pivotal role in the home-opening win over USI
– Scheumann came off the bench to finish with 10 kills while hitting .421
– The effort was one short of her career kills mark of 11
– Her efforts helped the Aces stave off multiple rallies from the Screaming Eagles
Three-for-three
– With the matches complete in 2023, freshman Ainoah Cruz has anchored the defense for the Purple Aces
– Highlighted by her top total of 20 digs against USI, Cruz has led UE in that category in each match thus far
– After opening the season with 11 digs against SEMO, Cruz registered 15 in the win over the Chippewas
– Her season average of 3.83 leads the team and is 9th in the Valley
– She has also added a total of five service aces
Racking up the Blocks
– Brooke Springer is currently ranked 6th in the conference with a season average of 1.25 blocks per set
– With five solo blocks, Springer is tied for second in the league
– She is coming off her top offensive performance of the season as she tallied 6 kills against USI
Scouting the Opposition
– On Friday, the Aces open the weekend against reigning Southern Conference Tournament Champion Samford
– The Bulldogs were 19-13 last season and swept Furman in the SoCon Championship Match to advance to the NCAA Tournament
– Last weekend, Samford earned sweeps over Miami Ohio and Alcorn State while dropping a 3-2 contest at Memphis
– Gracie Lynn Butler paces Samford with 5.00 kills per set
– Following a 13-15 campaign in 2022, North Alabama opened the season with a 2-1 mark at last weekend’s A-State Invitational
– UNA defeated Louisiana Tech (3-2) and Little Rock (3-0) before falling to Arkansas State in five sets
– Brenna Tietz leads the Lions with an average of 2.62 kills
