Aces get 4th road victory in a row
 SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Finishing with 19 kills each, Alondra Vazquez and Giulia Cardona led the University of Evansville volleyball team to a 3-1 road victory over Missouri State on Friday evening. It was the fourth road victory in a row for Evansville.
Vazquez led the Purple Aces with 16 digs and hit .286 in the win while Cardona tallied 11 digs while hitting a solid .319. Blakeley Freeman had a stellar outing, picking up 13 digs and a kill. Madisyn Steele and Hannah Watkins recorded eight kills apiece. Kora Ruff had 54 assists and 9 digs.
Set 1 – MSU 25, UE 23
Laura Ruiz recorded an early service ace to give the Aces a 3-0 at the start. Missouri State took their first lead at 6-5. Over the next sequence, neither team would lead by more than two before Evansville changed that pattern. Up 14-13, UE extended the lead to by a pair and would remain up by three when a kill from Emilee Scheumann made it a 20-17 score.
Following a time out, the Bears stormed back into the thick of it. Three service aces in a row highlighted a 5-0 run that gave them a 22-20 edge. Alondra Vazquez picked up two kills to tie it back up at 23-23, but MSU scored the final two points to win the set.
Set 2 – UE 26, MSU 24
Up 1-0 in the match, the Bears came out swinging in game two, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. Missouri State would extend the lead to 13-5 before leading by as many as nine points at 19-10. Just when it looked like the Bears were going to cruise to a 2-0 lead, the Aces had other ideas.
Wrapping up the set on a 16-5 run, Evansville stormed back to take a 26-24 win to tie the set. UE cut slightly into the gap, turning a 20-12 deficit into a 22-19 score with Cardona posting an ace and a kill. Looking to regain the momentum, Missouri State used a time out but it provided only a temporary fix. After scoring the first point out of the break to go back up by four, MSU saw Evansville reel off four in a row to tie the game at 23-23.
The Bears would have set point following a UE error, but a kill by Vazquez tied it right back up. An error by MSU put the lead in the Aces hands before Hannah Watkins had the clinching kill in a 26-24 victory.
Set 3 – UE 25, MSU 20
Twelve ties led to an 18-18 score in the third frame. Both squads took a 2-point lead with the other fighting back each time. That pattern changed when Kora Ruff posted a kill that sent the Aces on a 4-0 run. Cardona also had a kill during that stretch. Missouri State got back within three at 23-20, but it was Vazquez putting the finishing touches on the set. Two more kills capped off a 25-20 win that gave Evansville a 2-1 advantage.
Set 4 – UE 25, MSU 19
Three consecutive errors by the Bears turned a 3-3 tie into a 6-3 Aces lead before Cardona added a kill to make it a 9-4 game. With contributions coming from everywhere, Blakeley Freeman posted a kill in a sequence that made it a 16-7 game. The lead for the Aces reached as many as 10 points when Madisyn Steele picked up a kill.
MSU rallied late, getting within four points (22-18), but it was Steele coming up clutch once again. Her perfectly placed service ace landed just inside the line to clinch the 25-19 set win and a 3-1 match victory. Tomorrow, the Aces are in Carbondale to face Southern Illinois at 5 p.m.
