Aces drop 4-set match against Valpo
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Melanie Feliciano recorded her fifth double-double of the season as the University of Evansville volleyball team opened the weekend with a 3-1 loss to Valparaiso on Friday night inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Feliciano led the Purple Aces (16-5, 6-4 MVC) with 17 kills along with 10 digs. It marked the 8th match in a row for the junior with 12 or more kills. Alondra Vazquez had a strong outing with 14 kills while Giulia Cardona checked in with 13. Taya Haffner recorded a double-double of her own, adding 40 assists and 13 digs, both team highs. Hannah Watkins picked up two solo blocks and four block assists in the contest.
Set 1 – Valpo 25, UE 13
Valparaiso (16-6, 7-4 MVC) had the upper hand in the first set, taking an 8-2 lead to open the match. Evansville clawed its way back into it when Cecilia Thon picked up a service ace before a Beacon error saw UE cut the deficit to 9-7. A kill by Giulia Cardona once again cut the lead to a pair (12-10), but a 9-0 run was the difference for Valpo, who took a 21-10 lead before taking the set by a 25-13 final.
Set 2 – UE 25, Valpo 9
Evansville opened the set on one of the best runs you will ever see. The Aces scored the first 11 points before extending the lead to 16-1. Taya Haffner did the serving in the early part while Alondra Vazquez picked up three kills. Hannah Watkins and Melanie Feliciano added kills that pushed the lead to 15 points. The first four Valpo points came on UE service errors before their offense added a kill to make it 19-5. The Aces took the set by a 25-9 score to tie the match at 1-1.
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Set 3 – Valpo 25, UE 20
With the first two sets featuring a lopsided win for each team, the third frame was much closer. Once again, it was Valpo taking the early lead, opening up a 9-5 edge. The Aces countered with three Vazquez kills in a row to cut the gap to 9-8. Just a few rallies later, kills by Cardona and Feliciano knotted the score at 13-13. Unfortunately, the Aces could not get the point they needed to take the lead. The Beacons slowly took control as a 25-20 decision gave them a 2-1 lead.
Set 4 – Valpo 25, UE 22
Another hard-fought set saw both teams take the early advantage before Valpo broke a 10-10 tie with a pair of scores. The Aces continued to battle, posting three tallies in a row to tie the score at 18-18. Feliciano added the final two kills in the run. Following a timeout, the Beacons scored two in a row and would go on to clinch the match with a 25-22 win.
On Saturday, the Aces look to begin a new streak when they host Loyola at 4 p.m. inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
