Aces open with two home matches
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Three matches in four days awaits the University of Evansville volleyball team who hosts Southern Illinois and Missouri State this weekend before traveling to Indiana State on Monday. All three contests will be televised on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
– Saturday’s match at Illinois State saw the Purple Aces put up a strong fight before falling by a 3-0 score
– Giulia Cardona registered 14 kills while Kora Ruff added 25 assists and 9 digs
Closing in on 2K
– With 1,996 kills in her career, Giulia Cardona is on the cusp of becoming just the second player in Missouri Valley Conference to do so
– Cardona broke Alondra Vazquez’ UE program mark of 1,911 on Sept. 28 and has continued to add to her total with a season-high of 31 kills against Murray State
– On a national scale, Cardona holds the NCAA lead in total kills (362), total points (412.0), total attacks (1,049) and attacks per set (14.99)
– Her season average of 5.17 kills per frame paces the MVC and ranks 2nd nationally
Upping Her Game
– Madisyn Steele is 8th in the MVC with her average of 0.89 blocks per game
– In six MVC contests, Steele has seen that average rise to 1.00/set
– For the first time in her UE career, she recorded double digit blocks as she had 10 block assists to go along with a solo block in the win over UPR-RIo Piedras
Back in the Lineup
– After missing 11 matches, Kora Ruff returned to the floor on Oct. 4 at Belmont
– Ruff finished with 28 assists against the Bruins before adding 29 versus the Racers
– The match at Illinois State saw her lead the squad with 25 assists and 9 digs
Scouting the Opposition
– Southern Illinois will be the first opponent of the weekend on Friday evening
– The Salukis enter the weekend with an even 9-9 mark while going 2-5 in their first seven MVC matches
– Annabelle Sulish and Kelly Franklin pace the offense with 2.96 and 2.85 kills per frame, respectively
– Saturday’s opponent will be Missouri State who is currently 7-12 overall and 1-6 in the Valley
– They are paced by Aniya Joseph’s average of 3.80 kills
– UE makes the trek to Terre Haute on Monday to face the Sycamores who stand at 3-15 on the season and 0-6 through the early MVC slate
– Emma Kaelin holds the team lead with 3.11 kills per game
