Aces set for conference play next weekend

 

For the first time since the 2010 campaign, the University of Evansville volleyball team has won eight matches in a row as the Purple Aces defeated Mercer by a 3-1 final in their final non-conference match of 2019.

Leading the Evansville (9-2) offense was the duo of Rachel Tam and Melanie Feliciano, who combined for 37 kills.  Tam posted 19 while Feliciano added 18.  Gabriela Macedo posted 17 digs to lead four Aces in double figures.  Alondra Vazquez had 15 with Allana McInnis registering 12 and Tam finishing with 10.  McInnis added a team-best 41 assists.

Tam was named the MVP of the tournament while Feliciano and McInnis earned spots on the All-Tournament Team.  The trio has helped Evansville win eight straight matches, the longest streak since a 9-game streak in 2010.  It matches a 9-2 start in the 2011 campaign.

“This was a great weekend to close non-conference and to end up winning the tournament will give us a lot of confidence,” UE coach Fernando Morales said after the win.  “We are finding different ways to win and that is important as we get to conference play.  We are excited about the MVC and the girls are ready for the challenge.”

Game one saw the Aces jump out to a 3-1 lead with each point being a Melanie Feliciano kill.  The Bears rebounded to take their first lead at 5-4 in a run that saw them reel off nine out of 11 tallies to go up by an 11-5 score.  Alondra Vazquez helped Evansville get within three at 17-14, but Mercer fended off the challenge and pulled away for a 25-17 decision.

After Mercer ran out to a 3-1 advantage in the second frame, Evansville came back with a 4-0 stretch that included a Cecilia Thon service ace.  The Bears rallied to grab a 10-9 lead before UE came back with five in a row.  Following a Rachel Tam kill, the UE defense forced three Bear errors in a row to go up by a 14-10 score.  Mercer responded with a point before UE put three more on the board, taking a 17-11 score and forcing the Bears to use their second time out.  The Aces never let the Bears get closer as they pulled away for a 25-14 victory.

Neither team could wrestle away the lead in the early moment of the third set before the Bears were able to turn an 11-11 tie into a 14-11 edge.  The Aces inched their way back before kills from Tam and Feliciano helped UE tie it up at 19-all.  Each point would be tied leading to a 27-27 score.  Feliciano added a kill before recording the clinching service ace in a 29-27 victory as the Aces took a 2-1 match lead.

Evansville took its first lead of the fourth game at 6-5 on a Mercer error, but the Bears turned it around and inched out to a 13-10 edge.  The Aces did not let the deficit deter them as they rallied on an 8-2 stretch to take an 18-15 advantage.  Vazquez added a pair of kills while Allana McInnis had a service ace that gave the Aces the lead.  From there, UE held strong from there to record a 25-22 win and clinch the match.

Missouri Valley Conference play is up next for the Aces, who open next Friday at UNI before traveling to Drake for a match on Saturday.

The University of Evansville women’s cross country team defended its title at the Austin Peay Cross Country Festival, while the men captured second place, Saturday morning.

 The women were paced by junior Anna Lowry on a fast course, the Aces ran to a 26 point victory, with all scoring seven finishing in the top-12. On the male side, the top seven finishers ended up in the top-21, while finishing just seven points behind first place Bethel.

 Lowry rewrote the record books behind her 16:46.42 championship race, setting a new school, meet and personal record, as well as the fastest 5K in the MVC this season. Lowry finished the race almost a minute faster than the next runner from Bethel.

 “We had some great performances across the board,” head cross country coach Don Walters said. “They closed the gap and finished next to each other and worked off each other, especially the women. It was a great performance from top to bottom.”

Haylee Harmeyer pushed her season best to a 18:13.48, fourth place finish, just ahead of Jenna Fahrenbacher who took fifth in 18:17.96.

Bones Parker earned seventh place on a 18:40.92 5K, while Sarah Poltrack took ninth place in 19:01.68.

Lauren Meyer and Izzy Dawson rounded out the Aces scoring seven with 11^th and 12^th place finishes respectively.

Stanley Chepchieng once again led the men’s team. His 5K race earned him third place overall on a 15:06.95 time. Ricky Hendrix finished just two seconds later in fourth place on a 15:06.53 time.

Dawson Hood finished next for UE, taking sixth place in 15:16.53. Phil Dzienciol (15:40.04) and Tyler Frields-Reifsteck (15:46.40) took 13^th and 15^th respectively, while Jackson McPeeters (16:00.21) took 18^th.

Timmy Miller finishes up the Aces scoring lineup with a 21^st place 16:13.82 time.

The Purple Aces will next head to the Fast Cats Classic in Owensboro, Ky., on Oct. 12.

UE looks for another perfect weekend on Saturday

 

The win streak for the University of Evansville volleyball team has reached seven matches as the Purple Aces earned a pair of victories on Friday with wins over UT Martin and Little Rock in the opening day of the Skyhawk Invitational.

Evansville (7-2) opened the day with a 3-1 win over host UT Martin before completing the day with an impressive 3-0 sweep over Little Rock.  The Aces have now won seven matches in a row, their longest streak since 2010 when they won nine in a row.  The start for the team is the best since 2011 when the Aces posted a 9-2 mark in their first 11 contests.

“It is a good sign that we are getting wins with different players leading us,” UE coach Fernando Morales said.  “We have had three different hitters lead us in kills and three different players lead us in digs.  Our whole team is locked in and ready to contribute.”

UT Martin Recap

For the third time in as many matches, the Purple Aces etched their way into the record books.  Rachel Tam had another excellent outing, posting 35 kills in 70 attempts while hitting .343.  Her total is the most in a 4-set match in Evansville history.  It is also the third-highest total in the Aces record books.  It marks the third match in a row that a UE player surpassed the previous program mark entering the 2019 campaign.

Alondra Vazquez added 11 kills and 13 digs while Allana McInnis posted 46 assists and 22 digs.  Her did total was the most in her career, passing her previous high of 19.  Melanie Feliciano added 16 digs while Gabriela Macedo notched 15.  Macedo and Laura Ruiz recorded three service aces apiece.

Things were close in the early moments of game one, leading to a 6-6 score.  Up 9-8, the Aces scored three in a row and put it in cruise control from that point.  Hannah Watkins had a kill that gave Evansville a 15-10 lead.  After the Skyhawks scored a pair, the Aces finished the set on a 10-3 stretch to take the first set by a 25-15 score.  The final kill of the set came from Feliciano.

In the opening moments of the second frame, UT Martin grabbed a 7-5 lead before a pair of Tam kills tied the score at 8-8.  A Laura Ruiz ace saw Evansville wrestle away an 11-10 lead, but the team could not push that advantage past two points.  That changed a few points later.  After a UE error saw UTM tied it at 15-15, Evansville made its decisive run, scoring five in a row.  Vazquez started the rally with two kills.  The Aces hung on from there to take a 2-0 match lead thanks to the 25-20 decision.

UT Martin took an 8-4 lead in the third set before the Aces made their rally.  Trailing 13-10, a pair of Tam kills saw UE score four in a row to take a 14-13 lead, its first advantage of the frame.  The Skyhawks fought back to tie it up at 15-15 before completing the period on a 10-4 run to earn their first set win by a final of 25-19.

Looking for their sixth win in a row, the Aces wasted little time in game four, opening up a 7-2 lead.  Vazquez capped off the early rally with two more kills.  UT Martin came right back with a 6-1 run that knotted the score at 8-8.  The Skyhawks forced three more ties, but could not move ahead of the Aces on the scoreboard.  Evansville took advantage, posting three in a row following an 11-11 score before taking the match with a 25-20 win.

The University of Southern Indiana women’s soccer team scored early in the first half and held on to defeat the University of Indianapolis, 1-0, Friday evening at Strassweg Field. The Screaming Eagles go to 3-1-0 overall and is 1-1-0 GLVC, while UIndy is 3-1-0 overall, 1-1-0 GLVC.

USI grabbed the first half lead and the eventual game-winning goal at 9:43 when sophomore midfielder Madison Cady (West Chicago, Illinois) recorded her first tally of the season. She was assisted on the goal sophomore defender Madeline Weston (St. Peters, Missouri) and senior midfielder Emilie Blomenkamp (Smithton, Illinois).

The 1-0 lead would stand up through the intermission and the second half despite a 15 UIndy shots at the Eagles’ goal. USI freshman goalkeeper Maya Etienne (Midland, Michigan) posted her third shutout of the season by making six saves.

The Eagles returns to the road Sunday when they travel to Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, for an 11 a.m. (CDT) match-up. The Knights saw their record go to 3-2-0 overall and 0-2-0 GLVC after falling to McKendree University, 1-0, this evening at home.

Bellarmine leads the all-time series with USI, 13-7-6, after the Eagles defeated the Knights last year, 2-0, on goals by Weston and sophomore midfielder/defender Lyndsee Monac (New Brighton, Pennsylvania). The USI win over Bellarmine broke a 14-match winless streak by the Eagles.