Aces on the road this weekend

A trip to Iowa is on tap for the University of Evansville volleyball team this weekend as the Purple Aces head to Cedar Falls to face UNI on Friday before going to Des Moines on Saturday to take on Drake.  Both matches are on The Valley on ESPN3.

UE is coming off of a strong weekend of play inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.  On Friday, the Aces gave Missouri State all it could handle before rebounding on Saturday for a 3-0 win over Southern Illinois.

Reigning MVC Freshman of the Week Cassie Brooks was on fire last weekend as she posted an unbelievable 6.83 digs per set in leading the Purple Aces to a 3-0 win over Southern Illinois and a great effort against Missouri State on Friday.  The first match of the weekend against MSU saw Brooks notch 21 digs against the undefeated Bears before notching 20 versus SIU. Over the last seven matches, Brooks has averaged 5.18 digs per set.   She has accumulated at least 11 digs in 22 out of 24 matches this year with her high of 29 coming in the opener against Chicago State.  Her 27 digs also played a pivotal role in a 3-2 win over Western Illinois in the first weekend of play as she earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.  Brooks’ play has seen the Aces improve from 12.73 digs/game in 2016 to 15.87 per frame in 2017.

Cathy Schreiber hit an unreal .409 in two matches for the Purple Aces over the weekend.  She had 24 kills in 44 attempts with just six errors while notching 4.00 kills per set.  Schreiber’s season hitting mark of .293 ranks 8th in the MVC.  She has had double figure kills in five of the last six matches while hitting .300 or higher on ten occasions.  She has hit at least .333 in the last three contests for the Aces.

The Purple Aces earned a 3-0 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.  It was the first MVC sweep for UE since earning a 3-0 win over Bradley on October 3, 2014.

UNI enters Friday’s match with a 21-6 mark while going 10-2 in league play.  Last weekend, UNI earned a 3-0 win at Bradley after falling at Illinois State in five sets on Friday.  Piper Thomas is the most accurate hitter in the MVC, checking in at .355 while ranking third with 3.93 kills per game.  Heather Hook sits atop the conference rankings in assists with 11.65/set.

Drake has also enjoyed a great season as they start the weekend with a 21-6 record while winning 10 of their 13 league matches.  They have won three in a row including road triumphs against the Braves and Redbirds last weekend.  Kyla Inderski and Cathryn Cheek pace the Bulldogs with 3.31 and 3.12 kills per game, respectively.

UE Hall of Famer and fan favorite Reed Jackson will speak at one of the most popular Aces events of the season.  FanFest is back for the 7^thyear in a row and will take place prior to the University of Evansville men’s basketball season opener against Arkansas State on Friday, November 10.

Festivities get underway at 4:30 p.m. and run through 6:30 p.m. at Freedom Plaza, which is located directly outside the main entrance of the Ford Center.  The game will begin at 7:00 p.m., giving fans plenty of time to make it inside the arena to their seats. This is the first time FanFest is on a Friday night.

Live music, a photo booth, bounce house and several more great activities will be at the event, which has taken place each year since 2011.

There will also be activities for fans of all ages with vendors selling food also on hand.  Those selling food include: Dapper Pig, Marx BBQ and Backstage.

Admission to FanFest is free to everyone.