UE hosts final two home matches of 2023 next weekendÂ
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Extended runs in each set proved to be the difference with Northern Iowa picking up a 3-0 win over the University of Evansville volleyball team on Saturday evening at the McLeod Center.
Giulia Cardona and Melanie Feliciano recorded 9 and 7 kills, respectively, to lead the Purple Aces. Kora Ruff tallied 16 assists while Ainoah Cruz picked up 11 digs. Kira Fallert was the top performer for the Panthers, finishing with 14 kills.
Game 1 – UNI 25, UE 12
Chloe Cline picked up a kill for the first point of the night and the Aces took a 2-0 lead. Northern Iowa countered with a 7-0 run to take their first advantage of the night at 7-2. Melanie Feliciano pitched in a kill with UE picking up the next two tallies.
Evansville stayed within a handful of points with a Giulia Cardona kill cutting the Evansville deficit to 15-11. The Panthers responded with a 9-0 run to go up 24-11 before picking up the set win.
Game 2 – UNI 25, UE 13
Once again, things were close in the early moments. Madisyn Steele and Kora Ruff combined on a block as part of a 3-0 run to open the set. UNI came back to take a 6-4 lead before a Cardona ace tie the score at 8-8. Evansville retook the lead at 9-8 on a Panther error.
Another big run by Northern Iowa saw them take control. Scoring eight in a row, the Panthers went up 16-10. Following a point by UE, UNI pulled away even more as they took a 2-0 match lead with a 25-13 win.
Game 3 – UNI 25, UE 13
Cardona registered an early kill with the Aces taking a 3-2 advantage. Four in a row for the Panthers gave them a 6-3 edge before Cardona put a temporary halt to the run with her second kill of the frame. Northern Iowa got right back to business, adding six in a row to extend the lead to 12-4.
From there, the Panthers clinched the match with a 25-13 victory. UE returns to Meeks Family Fieldhouse next weekend for its final two home matches of 2023 against Murray State and Belmont.
