Aces take 5-set victory
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville senior Giulia Cardona became just the second player in Missouri Valley Conference history to reach 2,000 kills in her career as the Purple Aces defeated Southern Illinois in five sets on Friday evening inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Cardona finished the night with 37 kills, just three shy of the all-time Missouri Valley Conference single match record that she co-shares. The senior hit an impressive .330 while adding 11 digs. Angelica Gonzalez finished the match with 11 kills while Chloe Cline added 10. Kora Ruff posted team-highs with 55 assists and 18 digs. Southern Illinois was led by a 20-kill match from Kelly Franklin.
Set 1 – UE 25, SIU 21
Kora Ruff opened the night with a service ace as the Purple Aces jumped out to a 6-2 lead. Southern Illinois utilized an 8-2 run to take their first advantage at 10-8 before UE scored a pair to tie it up. The Salukis retook the lead and extended it to 18-15.
That is when Evansville made its move. With Chloe Cline doing the serving, UE scored six in a row to take the lead for good. Cardona added three kills during the rally while Angelica Gonzalez added two late kills to clinch the first set.
Set 2 – UE 25, SIU 17
Another nice start saw Evansville score the opening three tallies as Ruff added her second ace of the night. SIU got within a pair at 8-6 before Cline picked up a pair of kills as the UE advantage grew to 14-7.
Thing went Evansville’s way from there as the squad cruised to a 25-17 win to take a 2-0 match lead.
Set 3 – SIU 25, UE 19
After UE sored the opening point, the Salukis jumped in front by a 6-3 tally. After the Aces made it a 2-point game at 8-6, SIU slowly built a commanding 19-11 advantage. Evansville closed slightly, but the Salukis forced a fourth set.
Set 4 – SIU 25, UE 22
SIU had the early momentum, taking an 11-6 lead out of the gate. Steele helped the Aces close the gap as a well-placed kill made it a 13-10 Saluki lead. Following a 2-0 spurt by SIU, the Aces stormed back. Evansville scored the next four as Cardona and Steele assisted on a block to get back within one.
Three in a row by SIU got them back on track and they would once again go up by five. Maddie Hawkins registered an ace to cut the deficit to 23-21. That is as close as the Aces would get before the Salukis extended the match to a decisive 5th set.
Set 5 – UE 15, SIU 8
Cardona’s huge night continued as four early kills resulted in a 6-3 Evansville lead. Gonzalez also picked up her 10th kill during the early stretch. After the Salukis closed within a point, it was the 37th kill of the match for Cardona that gave UE its largest lead at 12-8.
It was all Evansville from there as the Aces completed the set with a 15-8 win to earn their second MVC win of the season. On Saturday, the Aces face Missouri State at 5 p.m.
