Non-conference play came to a close on Saturday as the University of Evansville volleyball team took on Dayton and Tennessee in the Flyer Invitational. UE fell by scores of 3-0 in both contests.
Dayton picked up a 3-0 win over the Aces to start Saturday’s action. Rachel Tam had 15 kills in the match while Allana McInnis notched 24 assists and Alondra Vazuez recorded 12 digs. With the scored tied at 3-3 in the opening frame, the Flyers reeled off seven of the next nine points to take a 10-5 lead. They were able to pull away from that points, winning by a 25-13 final.
Tam played a big part in game two, notching seven kills while hitting .308 as UE played much better. The teams battled to a 5-5 tie before Dayton scored five in a row to take a 10-5 lead. Evansville rallied back to tie it up at 12-12. Vazquez excelled on the serve while Mildrelis Rodriguez had a pair of kills. UE continued to keep it close, but could never get over the hump to take the lead as Dayton won by a 25-19 final.
Evansville continued to battle the Flyers in the third game, but UD went up 10-4. The Aces got within three points at 12-9, but Dayton would lead by as many as eight points on their way to a 25-17 win that clinched the match.
UE faced Tennessee in the second contest of the day, dropping a 3-0 decision. Tam had seven kills while Rodriguez and Elizabeth Giller notched six apiece. Cecilia Thon paced the team with 18 assists while Vazquez added eight more digs to her tally.
A 5-1 start in the opening set saw the Volunteers extend the edge to 10-2. They never looked back in taking a 25-14 win. The opening six points were tied in the second set before UT went up by a 10-7 score. Giller and Rodriguez spearheaded a 3-0 stretch that knotted the game at 10-10. Tennessee slowly began to take control before pulling away late by a final of 25-15.
The Aces continued to give it everything they had in the third game, not letting the Volunteers get too far away in the early going as UT had an 11-8 lead. The difference came in the next portion of the contest as the Vols went on an 8-2 stretch to lead 19-12. The UT lead stood strong from there as they clinched the match with a 25-18 victory in the third set.
Missouri Valley Conference action begins next week for the Aces as they play host to Loyola (Friday) and Valparaiso (Saturday) inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse. Both games start at 7 p.m.
