Another close match did not go the Purple Aces way as the University of Evansville volleyball team fell to Butler on Friday evening by a 3-0 score.
Rocio Fortuny was the offensive leader for UE (6-5) as she recorded 10 kills. Mildrelis Rodriguez was just behind with seven. Erlicia Griffith had an efficient outing, hitting .300 with five kills. Cassie Brooks had the top dig tally for UE with 15 while Allana McInnis registered 14 assists. Whitney Beck of Butler (8-2) led all players with 15 kills while Makayla Ferguson paced the squad with 32 helpers.
In the first set, the Bulldogs had the early edge, taking an early 3-1 lead before extending it to 13-6. Butler seemed to have things in hand, up 23-15 before having the set point up 24-19. That is when Evansville made a furious rally. With Allana McInnis handling the serving, Adeline Payne notched two kills while Cathy Schreiber had one of her own as UE scored six in a row to take a 25-24 lead.
Play continued with Butler scoring two in a row to grab the momentum back, but the Aces fought back each time, leading to a 28-28 score. That is when the Bulldogs were able to record the final two points to earn a 30-28 win.
Their momentum continued into the second game as the Bulldogs opened up by taking a lead of 7-4. Evansville cut the gap to two at 8-6 before Butler notched six in a row before finishing the frame on a 17-7 run to win by a 25-13 final.
Evansville showed its fight in the third set, overcoming another late margin. Butler had a nice start, taking a 15-6 advantage out of the gate. UE started to chip away as a 12-4 run got the Aces back within a point at 19-18. Joselyn Coronel had back-to-back service aces in the rally. Butler was able to overcome the charge as they hung on by a 25-22 score.
Tomorrow, UE heads to Indianapolis where they will face Duquesne at 4 p.m. ET on the campus of Butler University.
