UE looks for third consecutive MVC win
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – After leading the University of Evansville volleyball team to one of its most successful weekends in over a decade, the duo of Melanie Feliciano and Giulia Cardona were recognized by the Missouri Valley Conference on Monday.
Feliciano was recognized as the league’s Player of the Week while Cardona earned Freshman of the Week accolades. It marked the first such honor for each. Evansville also becomes the first team in the MVC to have four different players recognized with weekly awards this season. The Purple Aces are preparing for a Tuesday match-up against Missouri State, which is slated for a 6 p.m. start at Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Player of the Week
– Racking up 18 kills while hitting a season-high .600, Melanie Feliciano lifted UE to a 3-0 win over Illinois State on Saturday and was recognized as the MVC Player of the Week
– The contest marked the sixth in a row for Feliciano with eight or more kills
– The junior averaged 5.00 kills/set in the weekend wins over the Braves and Redbirds while improving her season average to 3.32 per set, which is 8th in the MVC
– With 2.48 digs per set, Feliciano is second on the team and 20th in the Valley
Freshman of the Week
– Averaging 4.83 kills, 2.33 digs and accumulating a total of eight service aces in the weekend wins over Bradley and Illinois State, Giulia Cardona was named the MVC Freshman of the Week on Oct. 11
– Her eight aces over the weekend pushed her season mark to 0.51 aces per set, which paces the Valley and is 22nd nationally…she opened the week with a career-high of five against Bradley
– That was not her only strong point as she tallied 4.83 kills per set in the two matches while improving her season average to 3.67
– Cardona led the way with 16 against Bradley before adding 13 versus ISU…since totaling one kill at Loyola, she has averaged 4.5 per set with 45 kills in 10 frames
– The freshman is third in the MVC in both kills 3.67/set and points (4.33/game)
Last Time Out
– It was a weekend to remember for the Purple Aces, who earned a pair of 3-0 victories against Bradley and Illinois State
– Friday’s win over the Braves snapped a 7-match skid against the squad with Giulia Cardona racking up 16 kills, 5 aces and 13 digs
– On Saturday, it was Melanie Feliciano leading the way with 18 kills on the way to a win over the Redbirds…the win was just the fifth in program history versus ISU
– UE earned consecutive 3-0 shutouts over MVC opposition for the first time since October of 2010 when UE topped Illinois State and Indiana State by 3-0 scores
Are those video game numbers?
– Taya Haffner continues to tally up the assists at one of the top rates in the nation
– She recorded an average of 13.17 per set in UE’s weekend sweeps of Bradley and Illinois State and improved her season total to 11.15 per game
– That average continues to pace the MVC while ranking 9th nationally and second among all NCAA freshmen
– Over the last three matches, Haffner has accumulated 12.4 helpers per frame and has reached 40 in a match on five occasions
– Haffner’s numbers in home matches are off the charts – in 11 sets, she has posted 145 assists, an average of 13.18 while helping the Aces to a perfect 4-0 mark at Meeks Family Fieldhouse
