Gonzalez Maltes leads UE with 13 kills
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Angelica Gonzalez Maltes tallied a team-high 13 kills as the University of Evansville volleyball team fell to Akron by a 3-0 final at Coliseu Mario Morales.
Melanie Feliciano posted 11 kills while Giulia Cardona added seven. Feliciano added eight digs to lead UE while Kora Ruff finished with 30 assists. Emanouela Christodoulou had a match-best 15 kills to lead Akron in the win as the Zips finished the night hitting .409.
Game 1 – Akron 25, UE 19
After Akron opened an early 4-1 edge, Angelica Gonzalez Maltes recorded a pair of kills to cut the deficit to 6-4 before a Giulia Cardona kill made it a 1-point game at 7-6. The Zips quickly regrouped to go up 15-7 before UE cut into the deficit once again.
Krystell Pappas notched an ace to get her squad back within five at 19-14, but a late surge by the Zips saw them open the evening with a 25-19 decision.
Game 2 – Akron 25, UE 17
Evansville faced another early deficit with the Zips jumping out to a 5-2 lead. UE quickly made its way back, tying the game at 5-5, but another run by Akron set them up with an 11-8 lead before extending it to 15-9, forcing the Aces to use their second time out of the set. From there, Akron held strong, cruising to a 25-17 win and a 2-0 match lead.
Game 3 – Akron 25, UE 21
It was the Aces with the big start in the third set, picking up the opening four points of the game. Gonzalez Maltes added a pair of kills that made it a 7-2 game while Lexi Owen added a kill on the ensuing rally to force Akron to use a time out. The stoppage worked to the Zips advantage as they posted the next five before extending the run to take their first advantage at 10-9.
UE posted the next tally to tie it up as the squads battled to a 16-16 score. The Zips registered the ensuing seven points to retake control, but the Aces staged a furious late rally. Melanie Feliciano notched her 11th kill of the evening to cap a 5-1 stretch that made it a 24-21 game. The rally came up just short with Akron taking the frame by a 25-21 score to clinch the match.
On Saturday, the Aces face the University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras at 6 p.m. CT.
