UE Volleyball continues homestand on Thursday
UE welcomes Belmont and Murray State
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Looking to build on a 5-1 home Missouri Valley Conference record, the University of Evansville volleyball team plays host to Belmont and Murray State on Thursday and Friday. UE welcomes the Bruins to open the weekend before facing the Racers on Friday; both contests begin at 6 p.m. and will be carried on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
– For the second day in a row, the Aces earned a 5-set victory as they defeated Bradley on Saturday
– Giulia Cardona posted 31 kills in the winning effort while Ainoah Cruz picked up 21 digs and Kora Ruff chipped in a double-double with 35 assists and 11 digs
National Player of the Week
– Giulia Cardona was named the AVCA/Gamechanger Division I National Player of the Week on Tuesday
– It marked the second time she earned the accolade in her career
– The award came on the heels of a weekend that saw her finish with 6.50 kills per set in 5-set wins over Illinois State and Bradley
– In the two matches, Cardona hit an unreal .357 while adding a total of 18 digs, five blocks, and two service aces
On a Roll
– Averaging 6.50 kills per set in wins over Illinois State and Bradley, Giulia Cardona earned National and MVC Player of the Week honors
– After posting 34 in the win over the Redbirds, Cardona added 31 versus the Braves
– Her pursuit of the all-time MVC career kills record continues as her tally of 2,183 is just 111 away from breaking the league mark of 2,293 set by Lily Johnson
– Cardona leads the nation in kills/set (5.60), total kills (549), points/set (6.24), total points (611.5), total attacks (1,548) and attacks/set (15.80)
Back in the Rankings
– Despite missing 11 matches, Kora Ruff has played in enough matches to regain MVC stat ranking eligibility
– Her average of 8.90 assists/set is 4th in the league and she is on the league list in digs (22nd-2.65/set) and service aces (4th-0.37/set)
– Ruff finished with a season-best 55 assists in the win over SIU
Career-High
– In the home win over Illinois State, Chloe Cline set a new career mark with 11 kills
– Her accuracy was spot on as she finished the contest at .435
– For the season, Cline his hitting .298 and ranks 8th in the MVC
– She reached double figure kills for the first time against SIU, finishing with 10
– Equally impressive was her accuracy as she hit .625; in the weekend wins over SIU and MSU, she averaged 2.11 kills per game
– Cline has registered 4+ kills in 13 of the last 16 matches
Scouting the Opposition
– Belmont heads into Thursday’s contest with a record of 8-17 while going 3-10 in Valley play
– Brooke Gilleland paces the team with 3.04 kills per set
– Murray State opens the weekend with a 12-10 overall mark and sit at 7-6 in conference matches
– They are led by Ella Vogel’s 3.89 kills per set
-www.GoPurpleAces.com-
