Aces Win Fifth Consecutive Match
 In another exciting night of action inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse, Rachel Tam reset the University of Evansville program kills mark as the Purple Aces earned a 3-2 win over Tennessee Tech. The win was the fifth in a row for the Aces, who are off to a 6-2 start in 2019.
Just three days after teammate Melanie Feliciano set the program kill record at 36, Tam tallied 39 kills in 75 attempts. Her tally puts her second all-time in Missouri Valley Conference, just one off of the record of 40.
“We knew that Rachel did not have her best games at the beginning but we knew what she could do,†Aces coach Fernando Morales said. “This is a fun group to coach, we have weapons everywhere. If it is not one girls night, another will step up.â€
Tam was extremely humble after breaking the record and was happier about the team win and improving her play.
“I did not come in trying to break the record tonight. I did not play well in the tournament and wanted to come out and have a better performance tonight,†she said. “All I wanted was to have the team win, that is the most important thing.â€
Feliciano finished the night with 19 kills while Alondra Vazquez finished with seven. Allana McInnis had another strong offensive effort. After setting her career mark with 65 assists on Saturday against Eastern Illinois, the junior posted 64 in the win over TTU. She also tied her career mark with 19 digs. Gabriela Macedo added 16 digs while Vazquez had 12 and Feliciano finished with 10. Freshman Hannah Watkins added five more block assists to her conference-leading average.
Tennessee Tech had a nice start to game one, jumping out to a 5-1 lead. Melanie Feliciano ended the stretch with a kill and the Aces started to battle back, taking their first lead at 12-11. Rachel Tam added a kill to extend the lead.  The Golden Eagles were able to end the threat to jump back in front at 15-14 before opening up their largest lead at 18-14. Cecilia Thon posted an ace to help Evansville tie it up before consecutive Tam kills put UE on top, 23-21. TTU fought back with two in a row but it was Tam coming through once again with the two clinching kills in a 26-24 win. She had nine in the game.
It was the Golden Eagles with another quick start out of the gate in the second game. After taking a 9-6 lead on an ace, TTU extended their advantage to five at 13-8. A pair of Hannah Watkins kills cut into the deficit before Tam’s 12th kill of the evening made it just a 1-point deficit (14-13). A double block from Watkins and Tam knotted the score at 15-15, but Tennessee Tech had another rally, pushing the lead back to 21-18 before knotting the match with a 25-21 decision.
A kill by Alondra Vazquez gave Evansville a 6-5 lead in game three before TTU rallied for an 11-7 advantage. The Aces came right back to tie it at 11-all on a block assist from Tam and Patricia Joseph. A Tam kill gave UE the lead, but the Golden Eagles came back with an 18-16 edge. Evansville came right back once again, tying it on a double block from Joseph and Vazquez. On the next play, Tam gave UE the lead with another kill. In a set that featured mini rallies by each team, TTU reeled off three straight to go back up by a pair and went on to win by a score of 25-23.
Service aces from Laura Ruiz and Cecilia Thon helped the Aces take a 4-2 lead. Tennessee Tech made it a 7-6 contest, but Evansville took control midway through the stanza when a Macedo ace extended the UE lead to 19-13. Ruiz added another service ace and the Aces forced the decisive 5th set with a 25-19 win.
Evansville kept the momentum rolling in the fifth and used a little bit of luck to take a 6-3 advantage. Melanie Feliciano dove to the ground to dig a ball from TTU and ended up landing it across the net in the perfect spot for her 16th kill as UE padded its lead. Tennessee Tech got within a pair at 9-7, but it was Tam providing the finishing touches, recording five more kills on her way to breaking the UE mark and leading the Aces to a 15-10 win in the fifth set.
This weekend, the Aces play their final non-conference tournament as they head to Martin, Tenn. for the Skyhawk Invitational. Evansville is slated to face UT Martin (12:30 p.m.) and Arkansas Little Rock (4:30 p.m.) on Friday before finishing with an 11 a.m. match on Saturday against Mercer.
