UE looking for second home win in a rowÂ
Meeks Family Fieldhouse will be the scene of the start of the second round of Missouri Valley Conference matches for the University of Evansville volleyball team as it welcomes Indiana State on Friday evening for a 7 p.m. match.
Evansville returns home for three matches in a row following a quick trip to Loyola and Valparaiso last weekend. The Aces are 2-1 in their last three outings, picking up 5-set wins over Bradley and Loyola. Mildrelis Rodriguez was the top performer in the victories, notching a total of 35 kills.
Mildrelis Rodriguez averaged 3.23 kills per set and 3.77 digs as the Purple Aces earned a pair of conference wins. In a 5-set win over Bradley, Rodriguez had a great 20-20 performance, notching 21 kills and 22 digs while adding three block assists. It was the first such performance for a UE player since Brooke Maher in 2010. Maher had 20 kills and 31 digs versus Drake on Nov. 20, 2010. She had another great effort at Loyola, posting 14 kills and 15 digs in the victory. The weekend finale at Valparaiso saw her notched seven kills and 12 more digs.
Rodriguez has been on quite a run as of late. Through her first 15 matches this season, the junior posted 97 kills. In her previous five outings, Rodriguez has had 63.
Over the last week, UE grabbed its first two league victories against Bradley and Loyola, both in five sets. The largest difference came in the team defense. In its two MVC wins, the Aces have allowed the opposition to hit .155. In its seven losses, opponents are hitting .236.
Friday’s win over Loyola came despite the Ramblers notching 18 more kills. Evansville won with 45 kills while the Ramblers finished with 63. It was the largest disparity in kill in a UE win since last season when SEMO had 71 while the Aces had 56 in a 5-set win.
Indiana State improved to 7-14 overall and 5-4 in the Valley with a sweep last weekend over Valparaiso and Loyola.  The Sycamores earned a 3-0 win over Valparaiso before hanging on at Loyola by a 3-2 final on Saturday. Laura Gross paces the offense with 3.27 kills per set, sitting 8th in the league. In the Sycamore win over the Aces last month, Gross notched 16 kills to lead them to a 3-2 win. Damadj Johnson leads the conference in blocks, notching 1.09 per set.
