Vazquez Records Career Match At Drake
Junior Set Career Mark With 32 Kills
 DES MOINES, Iowa – Alondra Vazquez recorded a career-high 32 kills as the University of Evansville volleyball team made a furious rally but came up just short in a 3-1 defeat at Drake on Sunday afternoon.
Vazquez led the Purple Aces (3-10, 2-9 MVC) with her 32 kills while adding a career-high 32 digs. Melanie Feliciano added 16 kills and 13 digs. Allana McInnis recorded 30 assists on the day with Cecilia Thon being credited with 10. Rachel Basinski added 21 digs. Pacing the Bulldogs (7-5, 5-4 MVC) was the duo of Haley Bush and Emily Plock, who tallied 29 and 25 kills, respectively.
Game 1
Drake scored four of the first five points to open the day before the Aces clawed back within two at 9-7 as Alondra Vazquez recorded one of her seven kills in the set. Laura Ruiz got Evansville even closer, adding a service ace that made it just a one-point deficit at 13-12. The Bulldogs quickly countered with four tallies in a row and the Aces were unable to recover as Drake pulled away for the 25-18 win.
Game 2
A quick start saw Evansville go up 7-3 extending the advantage to 11-6 with Hannah Watkins and Vazquez recording kills. Drake rallied with five in a row to tie it up before jumping in front at 13-12 on a UE error. The rally for the Bulldogs continued when they went back up by three at 18-15 before Evansville fought back with back-to-back Vazquez kills to tie it up at 20 apiece. The next two points went to the Bulldogs and they fended off the challenge to take a 25-22 triumph and a 2-0 match lead.
Game 3
Evansville recorded four of the first five points to grab the early edge before Drake scored five in a row to take their first lead at 6-4. Back-to-back kills pushed the DU lead to 9-5 and they would continue to hold a slight advantage before Evansville clawed back within a pair at 16-14. Their persistence paid off soon after when they would go back in front – 21-20. The teams fought back and forth, leading to a 27-27 score before Allana McInnis notched a kill and the defense forced a Bulldog error to give UE the 29-27 win and advance to a fourth set.
Game 4
Capitalizing on their momentum, the Aces grabbed an early 6-4 lead before four in a row put the Bulldogs on top. Trailing 8-7, UE scored four of the next five to jump back in front. They took advantage of a pair of Bulldog errors to extend that advantage to 17-13. Drake came right back with a 5-1 run to knot the set at 18-18 and would jump back in front at 21-20. After the teams swapped the lead, the Bulldogs were able to wrap up the match with a 26-24 decision in the fourth set. Tomorrow, the teams meet up for a 5 p.m. contest.
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