UE Travels To Morehead State for Weekend Tourney
 Looking to build on the success from opening weekend, the University of Evansville volleyball team has its sights set on the Eagles Challenge. Hosted by Morehead State, the Eagle Challenge will take place on Friday and Saturday and will see UE face the Eagles, Radford and Cleveland State. The Eagles are coming off of a 17-2 campaign in the spring that saw them win their first-ever NCAA Tournament match.
Clean Sweep
– In the season-opening Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational, the Aces earned a trio of 3-0 victories against SIU Edwardsville, Kent State and PFW
– It marked the first 3-0 start to a season since 2018 and was the first time UE has earned three consecutive sweeps since 2011
– Averaging 5.56 kills per set, Alondra Vazquez was named the Most Valuable Player while Taya Haffner and Melanie Feliciano earned All-Tournament accolades
Picking Up Where She Left Off
– Alondra Vazquez was one of the top overall players in the Missouri Valley Conference in the spring and wasted no time in continuing that success
– In the PFW Invitational, Vazquez registered 5.56 kills per set, tops in the MVC and second in the nation through the opening week
– Her other numbers were equally impressive as she averaged 2.78 digs, hit .380 and racked up eight block assists and six service aces
– Vazquez was named the MVC Player of the Week on August 30 for the second time in her career after garnering MVP honors for the season-opening tournament
– The MVC Preseason Team member sits second in the nation with her kill average
– Last season, Vazquez paced the NCAA with an average of 14.13 attacks per game
Freshman of the Week
– A case could be made that Taya Haffner had a perfect week to open her college career
– The Fort Wayne, Ind. native played her first three college matches in her hometown and performed exceptionally, averaging 12.33 assists per set along with an average of 3.00 digs
– She was named to the PFW Invitational All-Tournament Team before being named the MVC Freshman of the Week on Aug. 30
– Haffner’s assist average paces the Valley and ranks fifth in the country while her dig average is in the top 15 in the league
Strong Start
– Giulia Cardona had an extraordinary start to her Evansville career, wrapping up the PFW Invitational with a mark of 4.44 kills per set
– The freshman ranks second in the MVC and 21st in the nation while her hitting was also efficient, finishing over .200
– After opening the season with 11 kills against SIUE, Cardona added nine against Kent State before racking up 20 in the finale versus the Mastodons
– Cardona also contributed on the defensive end, recording 2.67 digs per game
Early Season Accolade
– A strong all-around effort to open the fall saw Melanie Feliciano earn a spot on the PFW Invitational All-Tournament Team
– Feliciano finished the weekend with 2.78 kills/frame while sitting in a tie for the team lead with an average of 3.00 digs
– An efficient weekend saw her total at least eight kills and seven digs in each match
– In the spring, she finished fourth in the MVC with 3.89 kills/set with her season mark of 25 coming at Missouri State; she averaged 3.19 digs over the course of the spring season
