Drake wins in four sets
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – In a hard-fought contest from start to finish, Drake finished with a 3-1 win over the University of Evansville volleyball team inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse on Friday evening.
Hinsley Everett led the way with 17 kills and 7 digs for the Purple Aces. Ryan Scheu added nine kills while Brooke Herdes totaled 8 kills and 9 digs. Ainoah Cruz led all players with 21 digs while Maddie Hawkins finished with 12. Kora Ruff notched 26 assists with Lexi Owen tallying 15. Macy Daufeldt paced the Bulldogs with 13 kills with Kacia Brown picking up 12.
Set 1 – UE 28, Drake 26
After the Bulldogs scored the first three points of the match, a solo block by Chloe Cline got UE on the board as the Aces came back to tie it at 3-3. Drake regained control going back up 8-4 before Evansville rallied once again. A Brooke Herdes ace was followed by a Hinsley Everett kill that made it a 9-8 deficit. Two points later, Makenzie Miller’s ace knotted the score at 10-10 while two errors by DU would give the Aces their first lead at 12-10.
Drake tied the score at 14-14, but another response by the Aces saw them take their largest lead at 19-16 on a Miller kill. The Bulldogs rallied to tie the score at 21-21 and had a chance to take the set as they held a 24-23 lead. The Aces bounced back to take a 25-24 lead on a Miller/Herdes block before Everett’s kill clinched the set.
Set 2 – Drake 25, UE 21
In a similar fashion as the first set the Bulldogs had the early momentum. They started with a 4-2 lead before extending the advantage to 10-5. Chloe Cline registered a kill that made it a 2-point game at 11-9 before the Bulldogs regained the 5-point edge at 17-12. With DU still up by five at 22-17 the Aces made a final push. Kills from Herdes and Everett brought UE back within two at 23-21, however, the Bulldogs scored the final two points to tie the match at 1-1.
Set 3 – Drake 25, UE 15
Another quick start saw Drake record the opening four tallies before extending the lead o 12-4. Four Bulldog errors were followed by an Everett kill that cut the deficit to 12-9. From there, it was all Drake as they pulled away to win by a score of 25-15 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Set 4 – Drake 25, UE 21
Hinsley Everett picked up two early kills leading to a 3-3 tie while Maddie Hawkins added an ace to give UE a 4-3 edge. The Bulldogs countered to go up by five at 13-8. Ryan Scheu came in and picked up kills that cut the deficit to two (16-14) before another made it a 1-point contest at 19-18. Everett recorded an ace that tied the score at 21-21. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs had the final rally, scoring the final four points to clinch the match.
On Saturday, the Aces honor seniors Kora Ruff and Maddie Hawkins when they face Southern Illinois in the regular season finale. Match time has been moved up to 4 p.m.
