Aces complete tournament on Saturday
 COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Day one of the Golden Eagle Invitational saw the University of Evansville volleyball team drop contests against Western Carolina and Northwestern. The Purple Aces look to finish the weekend on a winning note on Saturday when they face Tennessee Tech at 2 p.m.
MATCH 2 – Northwestern 3, UE 1
 Leading the way with 18 kills was Giulia Cardona. Melanie Feliciano and Emilee Scheumann followed with 10 and 9 kills, respectively. Kora Ruff topped the team with 11 digs while Blakely Freeman had 10. Ruff led UE with 35 assists.
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Set 1 – UE 25, NU 19
Giulia Cardona and Melanie Feliciano recorded 6 and 5 kills, respectively, to push the Purple Aces to a win in the first set. Northwestern had the momentum early in the set, going up by as many as five points at 13-8. Three in a row, including an ace by Kora Ruff, cut the deficit to a pair.
Trailing 15-13, UE reeled off seven in a row to take control. Pinpoint serving from Laura Ruiz set the Aces up while Cardona and Feliciano added kills during the run. Evansville never let the Wildcats back in it, finishing with a 25-19 win with Ruff and Hannah Watkins clinching with a block assist.
Set 2 – NU 25, UE 19
It was Northwestern jumping out to a 7-4 lead in the early going before Feliciano added an ace and Cardona registered two kills in a 4-0 stretch that gave UE its first lead at 8-7. Scoring 8 of the next 11 points, the Wildcats saw things swing in their favor, going up 16-10.
Evansville refused to give in. Down 18-12, UE stormed back with six in a row to tie it up. Two more Feliciano kills highlighted the sequence. Northwestern regained its composure and finished the frame on a 7-2 run to knot the match with a 25-19 win.
Set 3 – NU 25, UE 14
Early on, it was the Aces who jumped out in front, scoring the first three points. Still in front by a 5-3 score, the Aces saw the Wildcats post six tallies in a row to jump on top 9-5. The run continued for Northwestern, who extended their run to take a 14-6 advantage before winning by a 25-14 score.
Set 4 – NU 25, UE 15
Just as they did in the third game, Evansville led early in the fourth. Maddie Hawkins registered an ace as UE took a 6-2 lead. Northwestern rallied to tie it up at 7-7 and would clinch the match with a huge finish. After falling behind, the Wildcats completed the set by outscoring UE, 23-9, to win the match.
 MATCH 1 – Western Carolina 3, UE 0
 Melanie Feliciano had 14 kills and hit .542, but a 13-kill effort by Bailey Hartsough lifted Western Carolina to a 3-0 win in Friday’s Golden Eagle Invitational opener. Giulia Cardona added 10 kills and two ace. Feliciano and Blakeley Freeman tied for the team lead with eight digs while Kora Ruff had 33 assists.
 Set 1 – WCU 25, UE 16
Western Carolina jumped out to a 9-3 lead right out of the gate, completing the stretch on a 5-0 run. Melanie Feliciano ended the rally with a kill before a solo block from Madisyn Steele and a service ace by Giulia Cardona got UE within a pair at 9-7.
Evansville stayed within striking distance over the middle stretch of the set, but a late Catamount run proved to be the dagger. Up 20-16, WCU scored the final five points to clinch the set by a 25-16 final.
 Set 2 – WCU 25, UE 22
Kills by Emilee Scheumann and Hannah Watkins helped Evansville go up 3-0 before Western Carolina made its first run of the set, scoring five out of six points to go up 5-4. Four Feliciano kills, coupled with two from Steele, spearheaded a 6-1 run that turned a 5-4 deficit into a 10-6 lead.
After the Catamounts used an ace to cut their deficit to 12-10, UE countered with four in a row to take its largest lead. Scheumann and Watkins combined on a block to highlight the run. The Aces looked to be in good shape when another Feliciano kill pushed the lead to 18-12, but the Catamounts stormed back. Six scores in a row knotted the score at 18-18 and the run set the stage for an exciting finish. Evansville took four 1-point leads, but WCU had the answer each time and with the score tied at 22-22, the Catamounts posted the final three points to take the set along with a 2-0 match lead.
Set 3 – WCU 25, UE 18
Blakeley Freeman picked up a service ace to lift the Aces to a 2-0 lead before the Catamounts responded to go up 4-3. A 9-1 Western Carolina stretch saw them overcome a 3-1 deficit to take a 10-4 lead.
Facing an early hole, Evansville chipped away at the lead as a block assist from Kora Ruff and Madisyn Steele got UE back within a pair at 12-10. Unfortunately, WCU regained control to go back up by five at 16-11 before pulling away to clinch the match with a 25-18 decision.
