UE to recognize six seniors on Saturday
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The regular season comes to a close for the University of Evansville volleyball team this weekend when the Purple Aces take on UNI and Drake inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse. UE welcomes the Panthers on Friday before taking on the Bulldogs on Senior Night on Saturday; both matches begin at 7 p.m.
Prior to Saturday’s contest versus Drake, the Aces will honor seniors Mildrelis Rodriguez, Rocio Fortuny, Elizabeth Giller, Gabriela dos Santos, Olivia Goldstein and Joselyn Coronel.
Evansville found itself in an 0-2 hole at Indiana State, but rallied back to force a fifth game before the Sycamores clinched the match with a 15-11 win. Rachel Tam had one of her best all-around matches, posting 21 kills, 16 digs and 3 block assists. Alondra Vazquez added 14 kills and a career-high 21 digs while Mildrelis Rodriguez recorded 13 kills and 14 digs. Five Aces finished the match with 14 or more digs. Allana McInnis added 49 assists and Kerra Cornist anchored the defense with five block assists.
It was just another day at the office for Rachel Tam as she recorded 21 kills and 16 digs at Indiana State on Friday. Her 16 digs marked a season high and was just three off of her career mark of 19, set at Jacksonville State in 2016. She also added three block assists, her top mark since recording four against Loyola in September. She remains second in the MVC with 4.28 kills per set; her tally is 26th in the nation. Tam’s 458 total kills is 13th in the country while her 497.0 total points is 16th.
Senior Mildrelis Rodriguez continues to impact her team on the offensive and defensive sides of the net. For the season, she is second on the team in kills (3.10/set) and third in digs (2.78/set). She recorded 13 kills and 14 digs at Indiana State.
UNI comes to Meeks Family Fieldhouse with a 21-8 mark while going 15-1 through 16 MVC contests. Karlie Taylor paces the MVC with 4.69 kills per set while Rachel Koop leads the league with 11.76 assists. Koop’s assist average is 5th in the NCAA while her total of 1,235 helpers is also fifth. Taylor’s kill average ranks 10th in the nation while her total of 455 kills is 15th.
Drake is battling for a spot in the MVC Tournament coming into the last weekend of the regular season. The Bulldogs begin play with an 18-13 overall mark and stand at 6-10 in the Valley. Cathryn Cheek is fourth in the league and leads the Bulldogs with 3.75 kills per set. Elle Tubbs has notched 0.29 service aces per set, tops in the conference.
