Aces put up a fight in 3-1 defeat
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Hinsley Everett posted 13 kills to lead the University of Evansville volleyball team in a hard-fought 3-1 loss to Southern Illinois on Saturday evening.
Everett finished the night hitting an efficient .300 while picking up eight digs. Holland Morris and Chloe Cline totaled eight kills apiece. Ainoah Cruz recorded 18 digs while Kora Ruff notched 33 assists and 15 digs. Kelly Franklin and Annabelle Sulish were the top performers for the Salukis with each tallying 12 kills.
Game 1 – SIU 25, UE 12
Things got off to a positive start with Brooke Herdes posting a kill to give UE a 3-0 lead out of the gate. The Salukis countered with four in a row before going up by a score of 10-5. It was all SIU from there as they took the set by a 25-12 to take the early match lead.
Game 2 – UE 25, SIU 18
With the set tied at 6-6 the Purple Aces took control with three in a row as Ryan Scheu picked up a kill and Ainoah Cruz added an ace. Southern Illinois chopped a 14-10 deficit in half, making it a 14-12 game before UE regained control. Chloe Cline’s kill was the start of an 11-6 run to complete the set as the Aces tied the match at 1-1. Scheu added three late kills to her tally.
Game 3 – SIU 25, UE 19
Sabrina Ripple opened the game with a kill as UE scored the first three points before opening a 5-1 lead. SIU slowly chipped away and would tie the game at 8-8 before jumping in front at 10-8. Evansville did its best to remain within striking distance but a late stretch saw the Salukis pull away to win by six.
Game 4 – SIU 27, UE 25
Looking to seal the match, Southern Illinois jumped out to a 5-1 advantage to open the fourth. Evansville refused to give up with Everett picking up a kill and block to help her team tie the game at 7-7. The Salukis countered with three in a row to go up 10-7, however, UE had its own answer. A 5-1 stretch gave the Aces a 12-11 lead. Holland Morris had four kills during the rally.
After SIU tied the game at 14-14, Evansville regained control with Everett adding three more kills to give UE a 19-16 lead. She added another to solidify a 22-20 edge but one final push from the Salukis saw them outlast the Aces to take the set by a 27-25 final to seal the win. UE returns home next weekend to face Belmont and Indiana State.
