Sophomore Mildrelis Rodriguez recorded 10 kills as the University of Evansville volleyball team lost at Indiana State by a 3-0 final on Friday evening.
Rodriguez led the Purple Aces (5-22, 1-13 MVC) with the ten kills and also a match-high 13 digs. Cathy Schreiber continued her solid play, finishing the night with 8 kills. One week after her career night, Jelena Merseli paced UE with 21 assists.
Indiana State’s (10-15, 4-9 MVC) offense was led by Bree Spangler, who notched 12 kills. Rachel Griffin topped all players with 30 assists.
Holding a 9-7 lead in the opening frame, the Sycamores finished on a 16-7 run to earn a 25-14 win and take a 1-0 lead. The Aces quickly regrouped in a highly-competitive second game. A Rodriguez kill gave UE an early 6-4 lead before the Sycamores fought back. Neither team was able to open up a large lead, culminating in an 18-18 score. ISU posted the next two points and held on for a 25-22 win.
Another close game took place in the third with Evansville opening up by scoring five of the first six points. Indiana State made its way back, tying it up at 5-5 before grabbing a 17-12 lead. The Aces refused to give up, cutting the Sycamore lead to just two at 19-17 as Joselyn Coronel notched a kill. That was as close as UE would get as Indiana State clinched the match with a 25-20 win.
Tomorrow night, the Aces continue on the road at Illinois State for a 7 p.m. contest.
