Cardona and Ainoah Cruz earn postseason recognition
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – After putting together one of the best seasons in Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball history, University of Evansville junior Giulia Cardona was named the league’s Player of the Year on Saturday.
Cardona became the first Purple Aces player to earn the prestigious honor while earning All-MVC First Team accolades for the second time in her career. Ainoah Cruz also earned league recognition, earning a spot on the MVC All-Freshman Team.
Over the course of the 2023 season, Giulia Cardona made her presence known not just in the MVC, but the nation as a whole. She completed the regular season as the national leader in kills (5.34/set), points (6.14/set) and attempts (15.00/set) while ranking 11th in the nation and tops in the MVC with 0.54 service aces per set. Cardona wrapped up the 2023 campaign with a total of 593 kills, breaking her own UE program mark, which she set in 2022.
She was named the AVCA GameChanger Division I National Player of the Week on October 17 becoming just the second player in league history to earn the accolade. Cardona was a 4-tie MVC Player of the Week and recorded two of the league’s four 20-kill, 20-dig performances in 2023.
“This is a very well-deserved honor for Giulia. She carried us from day one until the last game and proved to be one of the best scorers in the nation,†Aces head volleyball coach Fernando Morales said. “Giulia is such a well-rounded player and her numbers are insane! She put up some of the best numbers in MVC history. I am very proud of her
In the October win over UIC, Cardona tied the single-match MVC record with 40 kills. Her season average of 5.34 kills per set was the first above 5.00 in the league since 2006.
Ainoah Cruz became the latest UE player to be named to the All-Freshman squad. In her first collegiate season, Cruz averaged 4.49 digs per set, which was 8th in the league. On Sept. 5, she was named the MVC Freshman of the Week following wins over Samford and North Alabama.
Her top performance was a 32-dig effort in the win over UIC. As the season progressed, Cruz added to her numbers, finishing the MVC portion of the schedule with 4.78 digs per frame.
“Ainoah had a great season and she earned the respect of the other coaches in the MVC in a very short time,†Coach Morales exclaimed. “I knew she was going to be a difference-maker in the conference, but I did not know just how fast she would do that. I am very proud of her.â€
