Aces defeat North Alabama, 3-1

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Junior Giulia Cardona set another career mark with 32 kills to help the University of Evansville volleyball team win its fourth match in a row, taking down North Alabama by a 3-1 final in Birmingham.

Just as impressive as her 32 kills was Cardona’s hitting mark, which finished at .459.  She added 12 digs and 6 blocks.  Melanie Feliciano posted 13 kills and 11 digs.  Kora Ruff had a stellar contest with 52 assists and a career-best 18 digs.  Ainoah Cruz checked in with 14 digs.  Katy Floyd wrapped up the match with 12 kills to lead the Lions.

Game 1 – UE 25, North Alabama 16

Giulia Cardona took control from the start.  Three kills in a row and a total of six in the first 10 UE points put the Aces in front, 10-2.  North Alabama made a run to get as close as three points (13-10) before Evansville responded with five in a row.  Efficient serving by Kora Ruff and another block by Brooke Springer extended the lead.

Two late Cardona kills set up Melanie Feliciano for the winning kill in a 25-16 decision.

Game 2 – UE 25, North Alabama 18

Another early run saw the Aces score the opening three tallies in the second set.  The Lions came back to tie it at 4-4 before the Aces wrestled the lead away for good.  Emilee Scheumann recorded a kill, which began a 6-1 run to put Evansville in front, 10-5.

Two more kills by Cardona and solid serving from Ruff saw Evansville push the lead to eight points at 15-8.  North Alabama got as close as four points (21-17) but UE fended off the challenge to take the win, 25-18.

Game 3 – Nprth Alabama 25, UE 21

Looking to put things away early, Evansville jumped out to an 8-2 advantage.  Madisyn Steele and Cardona combined for three blocks during the rally.  North Alabama never gave up and fought back with a 13-4 run that turned an 8-2 deficit into a 15-12 lead.

UE forced a 16-16 tie but was unable to retake the lead with the Lions clinching a 25-21 win in the third set.

Game 4 – UE 25, North Alabama 18

After taking a win in game three, North Alabama looked to keep the momentum going as they kept it close in the early portion of game four.  The Aces had other ideas and, with the score knotted at 6-6, UE scored four in a row and never looked back.  Maddie Hawkins got things going with an ace in a 4-0 run.

Three more Cardona kills in the next stretch pushed the lead to 17-10.  UNA got as close as 21-17 with the Aces countering to clinch the match on the strength of a 25-18 win.

Non-conference action continues next weekend with a trip to the DePaul Invitational.  UE is set to face St. Thomas, Northern Illinois and DePaul on Friday and Saturday in Chicago.

Schaumburg, Ill. – The Evansville Otters grounded into five double plays and fell to the Schaumburg Boomers 6-1 on Saturday night at Wintrust Field.

Evansville notched eight hits but was held to one run. The Otters leadoff runner reached in five innings.

Schaumburg scored four runs in the first frame. The first batter reached on an error before two singles led to the first run of the game. A three-run home run followed for a 4-0 Boomers lead.

Evansville scored their lone run in the third inning. Jake Green hit a single and Gary Mattis brought him home with an RBI knock.

Schaumburg finished the scoring with two more runs in the fifth inning with the help of three straight singles.

Justin Watland was credited for the loss for Evansville. He pitched seven innings, allowing five earned runs on nine hits with five strikeouts.

Austin Gossman pitched the win for Schaumburg, allowing a run in seven innings of work.

Bryan Rosario stole his 50th base of the season, tying him with Joe Spiers from 2011 for the most in an Otters’ single season.

Jeffrey Baez led Evansville’s offense with two hits.

Evansville finishes the 2023 regular season with a series decider against Schaumburg on Sunday. First pitch is slated for 3:00 PM CT from Wintrust Field. The game can be heard on the Otters Digital Network and simulcast on FloSports.

CHARLESTON, Ill. – The Vincennes University men’s and women’s Cross Country teams began their 2023 season Friday afternoon, taking part in the annual Walt Crawford Open hosted by Eastern Illinois University.

The day began with the women’s 5k race, where VU more than held their own against a field of two NCAA Division I programs in Eastern Illinois and Indiana State.

The Trailblazers women’s team was led by freshman Emily Barbosa (Sao Paulo, Brazil), who paced the VU runners to take 26th overall with a time of 21:21.3.

Freshman Lani Baskett (Sebree, Ky.) was the second VU runner across the line, taking 27th overall with a time of 22:40.4.

Sophomore Ada Peterman (Clay City, Ill.) and freshman Adi Fuller (Evansville, Ind.) were close behind with Peterman finishing 28th at 22:45.5 and Fuller ending at 23:05.3 for 29th place.

Freshman Jasmyn Self (Casey, Ill.) finished 30th overall with a time of 23:22.6, while fellow freshmen Madeline Esslinger (Bloomington, Ind.) and Grayson Haynes (Sebree, Ky.) rounded out the VU women’s runners with Esslinger finishing with a time of 25:45.9 and Haynes crossing the line at 26:02.7.

The VU women’s team finished with a total of 85 points on the day, placing them third behind Eastern Illinois and Indiana State and ahead of Kaskaskia College.

The day concluded at EIU with the men’s 8k race, which can be a new challenge for some of the new incoming freshman runners who typically only run a 5k in high school.

The VU men’s team was led by sophomore Isaac Stanford (Flora, Ill.) who placed 24th overall with a time of 27:36.3.

Freshmen Jonathan Noel (Hebron, Ind.) and Tanner Spence (Carmi, Ill.) were close behind, with Noel taking 31st at 28:17.5 and Spence placing 33rd at 28:46.2.

Freshmen Caden Hostetler (LaGrange, Ind.) and Nathaniel Whitehead (Vincennes, Ind.) rounded out the VU top-five with Hostetler finishing 35th at 29:02.2 and Whitehead crossing the line in 38th place at 29:42.0.

Sophomore Brayden Green (Sumner, Ill.) was the next across the line for VU, finishing with a time of 31:31.8.

Sophomores Matthew Gray (Washington, Ind.) and Griffin Worzella (Martinsville, Ind.) really battled it out and finished neck and neck with Gray just edging out his teammate with a time of 31:56.3 and Worzella finishing at 31:56.5.

Freshmen John Hackney (Evansville, Ind.) and Max Pendley (French Lick, Ind.) rounded out the VU men’s runners competing Friday afternoon, with Hackney finishing with a time of 32:13.3 and Pendley at 32:35.5.

The VU men’s team also scored 85 points on the day and like the women’s team placed in third behind Indiana State and Eastern Illinois and ahead of Kaskaskia College.

“It was a rough day for a lot of our freshmen,” VU Head Cross Country Coach Tyler Steigenga said. “The competition is a big step up from high school, especially for the guys, who are learning to race the longer 8k distance.”

“Today was more about getting one on the board,” Steigenga added. “I think we’ll respond a lot better in two weeks at Terre Haute, knowing what to expect and having a lot more teams in the field to race against.”

The men’s and women’s Cross Country teams will look to learn from this experience, as it was the first collegiate race for many of VU’s runners, when the Trailblazers head to Terre Haute Saturday, Sept. 16 to take part in the John McNichols Invite.

WOMEN’S RESULTS

TEAM RESULTS

Eastern Illinois – 27

Indiana State – 30

VINCENNES – 85

Kaskaskia – 114

VINCENNES RESULTS

Emily Barbosa – 26, 21:21.3

Lani Baskett – 27, 22:40.4

Ada Peterman – 28, 22:45.5

Adi Fuller – 29, 23:05.3

Jasmyn Self – 30, 23:22.6

Madeline Esslinger – 34, 25:45.9

Grayson Haynes – 35, 26:02.7

MEN’S RESULTS

TEAM RESULTS

Indiana State – 23

Eastern Illinois – 36

VINCENNES – 85

Kaskaskia – 115

VINCENNES RESULTS

Isaac Stanford – 24, 27:36.3

Jonathan Noel – 31, 28:17.5

Tanner Spence – 33, 28:46.2

Caden Hostetler – 35, 29:02.2

Nathaniel Whitehead – 38, 29:42.0

Brayden Green – 41, 31:31.8

Matthew Gray – 43, 31:56.3

Griffin Worzella – 44, 31:56.5

John Hackney – 45, 32:13.3

Max Pendley – 46, 32:35.5

USI defeats New Orleans, 3-1

LOUISVILLE, Ken. – University of Southern Indiana Volleyball (2-5) put up a season-high 57 kills in a 3-1 (25-15, 25-13, 26-24, 26-24) victory over the University of New Orleans (1-5) to cap off the Bellarmine Invitational at Knights Hall on Saturday afternoon. The Screaming Eagles avenged their two losses from yesterday’s matches and have already doubled their win total from last season.

USI came out of the gate strong by defeating the Privateers, 25-15, in the opening frame. The Eagles had a quick 5-3 lead after some UNO mistakes and one of many kills from senior outside hitter Leah Anderson (Bloomington, Illinois). USI would then go on a 6-0 surge with the help of a trio of service aces from senior outside/right side hitter Abby Bednar (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) and a kill from sophomore middle hitter Bianca Anderson (Chicago Heights, Illinois). The Privateers cut the deficit to five until back-to-back kills from Leah Anderson put the power back in the Eagles’ hands, 17-9. USI ended the set by scoring seven of the final 10 points to clinch a first-set win. The Eagles had a solid offensive attack to open the game, earning 12 kills with a match-low two errors and a 0.303 attacking percentage.
 
A strong attack and stellar defense put the Eagles in the driver’s seat and lifted them to a 25-13 win in the second set. Knotted up at eight apiece, USI put on a 9-0 run that nearly doubled UNO, 17-9. In that stint, the Eagles had three kills and three aces. The Privateers were able to stop the bleeding until USI put up three straight points off three kills from Leah Anderson, Bednar, and freshman outside hitter Leah Coleman (Hoover, Alabama) who played in her first collegiate career match. Back-to-back Leah Anderson kills and a game-ending kill from junior middle hitter Paris Downing (Avon, Indiana) sealed the Privateers’ fate and put the Eagles up, 2-0. USI nabbed 16 kills and a match-high 0.344 hitting percentage. The Eagles’ defense allowed just two kills from UNO and a negative 0.048 attacking percentage.
 
Despite putting up an impressive 19 kills, USI faltered in the third frame, 26-24. The Privateers found a rhythm in the middle of the set and put on a 6-0 run that made it 13-9 in favor of UNO. The Eagles were able to retaliate with four kills, two coming from Coleman, to cut the deficit to one. It was back-and-forth action until USI tied it at 21 thanks to junior setter Carly Sobieralski (Indianapolis, Indiana) who tallied a kill and an ace to regain momentum. The Eagles reclaimed the lead, 24-23, until the Privateers ended the set on a 3-0 run to win the set. UNO was nearly flawless on offense, nabbing 14 kills with just two errors.
 
Despite trailing by as many as nine points, USI made a late push and took home a come-from-behind set win, 26-24. The Eagles held a 4-3 advantage until the Privateers stormed back and scored 10 of the following 12 points with a pair of 5-0 runs to take a 13-6 lead. USI would then trail 17-8 after some attacking errors that put the Eagles in their largest deficit of the day. At 22-16, USI took advantage of four offensive miscues to go along with a pair of Downing kills to cut the debt, 23-22. Even after a quick kill from UNO and being just one point away from the loss, the Eagles scored the last four points from three kills and an ace from Bednar.
 
Leah Anderson put on a show in the final match of the tournament, securing a season-high 18 kills and 20 digs to go along with three aces. Sobieralski added a career-high 47 assists and a solid 12 digs to give her another double-double. Bednar led the team with four aces and four blocks to pair with a season-high 15 kills and 12 digs. Coleman had an impressive collegiate opener, recording seven kills and 15 digs, while sophomore libero/defensive specialist Keira Moore (Newburgh, Indiana) totaled 16 digs to round out the double-digit digs category.
 
As a team, the Eagles put up 57 kills, 55 assists, and nine aces to pair with 81 digs and six blocks. Four of the five main categories were season highs for USI. The Privateers ended the match with 36 kills, 33 assists, and seven aces to go with 67 digs and eight blocks.
 
Bellarmine University Athletics will release an all-tournament team at the conclusion of the final match. USI Athletics will update this story once the team has been announced.
 
NEXT UP FOR THE EAGLES:
The Eagles are at home for the first time in 2023 for the USI Invitational, a four-team tournament hosted at Screaming Eagles Arena from September 8 to 9. USI will face the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1 p.m.) and Jacksonville State University (7 p.m.) on Friday before taking on Bradley University (3 p.m.) on Saturday.