Aces earn exciting 3-2 win over SEMO in home opener

Aces host Dunn Hospitality Tournament this weekend

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Mildrelis Rodriguez posted 18 kills while Erlicia Griffith notched 11 blocks to lead the University of Evansville volleyball team to a 3-2 win over Southeast Missouri State in Monday’s home opener at the Carson Center.

Rodriguez had the best performance of the season for a UE (1-5) player.  She also had 15 digs, a team-high.  Rocio Fortuny had a stellar match as she finished with 13 kills and 10 digs.  On defensive, it was Griffith getting the job done once again, finishing with two solo blocks, nine block assists and seven kills.

“The girls are staying calm and reacting better with every game we play,” head coach Manolo Concepcion said.  “We talked about 3 things – urgency, competitiveness and teamwork.  We wanted to raise the standard.  Instead of just trying, we wanted to execute.  We are still learning how to win, but the girls are getting better with the process.”

Pacing the Redhawks (1-6) was Krissa Gearring, who notched 23 kills.  Just behind her was teammate Madeline Grimm who had 22.

Erlicia Griffith notched four block assists in the opening set as SEMO took a 25-20 win.  After Evansville took a 4-2 lead, the Redhawks reeled off the next five points before Deja Clark ended the run with a kill.  Olivia Goldstein helped UE tie it back up at 9-9 with back-to-back service aces, but SEMO wrestled the advantage away, going up by a 24-16 score.  Evansville notched four in a row but the Redhawks finished with a 25-20 win.Game two was a back-and-forth battle down to the wire.  The Aces once again opened up a 4-2 advantage before Southeast Missouri State went up by four at 17-13.  Evansville rallied back as a Jelena Merseli ace made it a 17-16 game.

Later, the Aces were able to tie it up at 21-21 on a double block from Griffith and Mildrelis Rodriguez.  Joselyn Coronel added an ace of her own to put UE on top at 22-21.  After the Redhawks took a 23-22 lead, Evansville was able to make the plays down the stretch as Griffith hit a powerful kill to complete the 31-29 win.

SEMO got the quick start in the third frame, jumping out to a 6-2 advantage.  The Aces made a run as a pair of Rocio Fortuny kills put UE up 8-7 and the lead extended from that point to 19-14.  The Redhawks fought back before Rodriguez had the clinching kill to give UE a 25-21 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Redhawks put forth their most dominating effort of the night in the fourth set, forcing a fifth set with a 25-10 win.  Their momentum continued as they grabbed a 5-2 advantage.  Rachel Tam helped UE tie it up with an ace before a Jelena Merseli kill was part of a rally that gave UE a 9-8 lead.  From there, they pulled away for a 15-9 triumph as Fortuny had the final two kills of the match.

This weekend, the Aces are home for three matches in the Dunn Hospitality Tournament.  A match against Austin Peay gets the weekend started at 7 p.m. Friday before UE faces Dayton at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.  The finale will see Evansville take on Kent State at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday evening.