Cardona racks up 26 kills
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Another superb effort saw Giulia Cardona finish with 26 kills on Monday as the University of Evansville volleyball team dropped a 3-0 match at Indiana State.
Cardona led all players with her 26 kills while hitting .314 in the contest. She added 12 digs. Ainoah Cruz recorded a match-high 18 digs while Kora Ruff picked up a double-double with 35 assists and 11 digs.
Set 1 – ISU 25, UE 23
Both teams swapped the lead in the opening moments of the set but with the score tied at 10-10, the Sycamores scored three in a row and six out of seven to wrestle away a 16-11 lead. The Purple Aces stormed back as three players registered kills as they tied the game at 19-19. Following a time out, the Sycamores were able to complete the frame with a win and take a 1-0 lead.
Set 2 – ISU 25, UE 23
The second set was very similar to the first as the squads exchanged the lead in the early moments before ISU flexed its muscle midway through. With the game tied at 12-12, Indiana State scored four in a row before opening a 5-point lead at 22-17. Just as they did in the first, UE never gave up. With Ruff doing the serving, the Aces scored four in a row as Cardona racked up three kills to cut the deficit to one.
Another kill by Cardona tied the score at 23-23, but it was the Sycamores posting the final two points to take a 2-0 match lead.
Set 3 – ISU 25, UE 21
Evansville had the upper hand through most of the set as Ruff opened with an ace to help UE score the opening four points. After ISU fought back to take a 10-9 lead, the Aces countered with a 4-0 run to go up 13-10. Krystell Pappas was efficient on the serve while Cardona had two more kills.
With the Aces up 16-13, the Sycamores took control with a 7-1 run that gave them a 20-17 edge. UE was unable to overcome the rally, falling by a 25-21 margin. The Aces remain on the road this weekend with matches at UNI and Drake.
