Aces welcome SIU on Saturday
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In a close match throughout the evening, the University of Evansville volleyball team fell to Missouri State by a 3-1 final inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse on Friday evening.
Giulia Cardona and Melanie Feliciano led all players in kills with 22 and 20, respectively. Ainoah Cruz continued her strong streak on the defensive side with a match-high 28 digs while Kora Ruff picked up 43 assists. Ruff and Blakeley Freeman added 10 digs each. Cardona finished the night with six service aces while Freeman added three of her own.
Game 1 – MSU 25, UE 23
Both teams had their chances in the opening frame. Giulia Cardona picked up a kill to help the Aces take a 10-8 advantage before an error by the Bears pushed the Evansville lead to 13-10. Missouri State fought back to tie it at 16-16 before utilizing a 3-0 run to go up 21-20.
Kills by Brooke Springer and Melanie Feliciano along with a solo block from Madisyn Steele put UE back in front at 23-21. The Bears grabbed the momentum right back, posting the final four points to take the set.
Game 2 – MSU 26, UE 24
Three in a row by the Bears saw them take an early 9-6 lead with UE tying it right back up with a pair of Giulia Cardona service aces. Blakeley Freeman followed up with consecutive aces of her own to put her team in front – 14-11.
Evansville extended the lead to as many as four points as Feliciano picked up two more kills to push the advantage to 17-13. The Aces continued to lead until the Bears staged another late rally. Trailing 24-22, MSU reeled off the final four tallies to win the set and take a 2-0 lead.
Game 3 – UE 25, MSU 20
Following a back-and-forth battle early in the frame, the Aces went on a 13-4 run to turn a 5-5 game into an 18-9 advantage. Evansville started by scoring five in a row with Cardona picking up two kills and an ace. Emilee Scheumann and Feliciano added kills during the run to add to the lead.
MSU made a late run to cut the deficit to as few as three points (21-18), but the Aces held strong to take the set by a 25-20 score.
Game 4 – MSU 25, UE 23
MSU opened the fourth on a 3-0 run with a Scheumann kill getting the Aces within one at 9-8. The Bears would extend lead back to as many as four points with UE staying within a handful of points. An error by MSU allowed UE to cut the deficit back to one at 22-21 but the rally came up just short with UE falling by a 25-23 final.
Southern Illinois is on the slate Saturday with the match beginning at 5 p.m.
