UE travels to North Carolina for the weekend
 With the home opener in the books, the Purple Aces volleyball team takes to the road this weekend as they head to Elon, N.C. for the Phoenix Classic on Friday and Saturday. UE takes on Elon, Gardner-Webb and North Carolina Central in the tournament.
After a 3-0 start to the season in the Leatherneck Invitational, the University of Evansville volleyball team got tripped up by a 3-0 final in Tuesday’s home opener against SEMO. Rachel Tam added 14 kills while Cecilia Thon posted 15 assists; Lauren Murray led all players with 12 digs. Last weekend, the Aces were 3-0 in Macomb, Ill.; UE opened with a 3-2 win over Tennessee Tech before earning a 3-1 win over Fairleigh Dickinson; in the finale, the Aces topped Western Illinois in five sets.
Rachel Tam had one of the best weekends in program history in leading the Purple Aces to a perfect 3-0 mark and the Leatherneck Invitational Championship. Tam recorded 79 kills over the weekend before adding 14 against the Redhawks; she continues to pace the MVC with 5.47 kills per set. Entering the 2018 season, Tam’s career kills mark was 27, which she broke twice in the opening three matches.
Two freshmen had stellar debuts in the trip to Macomb and played well in Tuesday’s contest against Southeast Missouri State. Kerra Cornist garnered All-Tournament Team accolades as she averaged 1.71 kills per set while ranking second on the team with 10 block assists. Cecilia Thon was UE’s top setter in the 3-0 start, posting at least 24 in all three games including her career mark of 32 against Fairleigh Dickinson. Thon added 15 assists in the home opener and has led UE in that stat in all four matches so far.
Elon comes into its home tournament with a perfect 4-0 mark. The Phoenix took top honors in last weekend’s Charlotte Invitational with wins over Presbyterian, Charlotte and USC Upstate. Kam Terry leads the way with 3.33 kills per set while Kodi Garcia checks in with 8.94 assists per frame.
Gardner-Webb brings its 2-1 record to Elon as they defeated Jackson State and Alabama A&M in the season-opening SWAC/MEAC Tournament. Nichole Ford paces the Runnin’ Bulldogs with a total of 17 kills while Hannah Donaldson has recorded 13 total blocks.
The Eagles of North Carolina Central recorded a 1-2 mark as they also opened the season at the SWAC/MEAC Tournament. Their win came over Jackson State. Morgan Goodwin has notched a team-best 24 kills this year while Isis Mitchel currently has 95 assists, a total of 7.31 per set. Current UE graduate assistant Melissa Rabell was a player for the program from 2011 through 2014.
