UE falls in both contests
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – In a pair of hard-fought matches on Friday, the University of Evansville volleyball team dropped a pair of matches to Wright State and Marshall in the opening day of the Marshall Invitational at the Cam Henderson Center. A rematch against the Thundering Herd completes the opening weekend on Saturday at 5PM CT.
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Match 1: Wright State 3, UE 1
Alondra Vazquez recorded a match-high 21 kills but a strong .266 effort by Wright State saw them finish with a 3-1 win in Friday’s opener. Giulia Cardona registered 13 kills while Melanie Feliciano added nine. Feliciano added 14 digs while freshman Kora Ruff debuted with 45 assists and 10 digs.
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Set 1 – UE 25, WSU 23
Wright State jumped out to a 3-0 lead to open the match before Evansville made its way back. The first kill of the day from Madisyn Steele tied the game up at 5-5 before Giulia Cardona followed with an ace to give UE its first advantage at 6-5. The Raiders wrestled away an 11-9 lead but the Purple Aces countered as an ace from Laura Ruiz helped the team retake a 14-13 lead.
Alondra Vazquez recorded back-to-back kills to lift the Evansville lead to a game-high four points at 20-16 and the lead remained at four when a WSU error cemented a 24-20 edge for the Aces. Wright State made a final push, scoring three in a row, but a big time out by UE head coach Fernando Morales helped his team to regain its edge before the 8th Vazquez kill of the frame finished the 25-23 win.
Set 2 – WSU 25, UE 14
Just as they did in the first set, Wright State scored the opening three tallies, but this time, they did not allow UE to get closer than two points before pulling away for a 25-14 win. Vazquez and Feliciano each recorded kills to make it a 5-3 deficit but the Raiders kept the pressure on. Up 7-5, Wright State took control on the strength of a 7-1 run that gave them a 14-6 edge.
Their lead reached as many as 12 points (23-11) before they capped off the set to tie the match.
Set 3 – WSU 26, UE 24
Melanie Feliciano picked up an early kill to give Evansville a 2-1 lead before the Raiders fought back. Scoring seven of the next nine points, WSU jumped out to an 8-4 lead. UE clawed its way back and was able to tie the frame at 15-15 on a Cardona ace before the sophomore recorded a kill that put her team in front at 17-16.
Evansville’s rally continued as Vazquez took things over. Three consecutive kills by the 5th year player resulted in a 20-17 Aces advantage. Just when it looked like UE was in control, the Raiders countered with a 6-0 stretch to go back in front – 23-20. The Aces never relented and fought their way all the way back to tie it up at 24-24 with Vazquez and Cardona each adding a kill. Wright State quickly regrouped and clinched the set with an ace.
Set 4 – WSU 25, UE 16
An early run saw the Raiders jump out to a 10-3 lead and they would hold strong to clinch the match with a 25-16 win in game four. Their early run led to a 20-6 lead, which would prove to be too large to overcome.
Match 2: Marshall 3, UE 2
Leading the UE offense once again was Alondra Vazquez, who recorded 26 kills in a 5-set loss to the Thundering Herd. Melanie Feliciano recorded 12 kills in the contest. Blakeley Freeman led the defense with 17 assists while Kora Ruff added 42 assists.
Set 1 – MU 25, UE 22
Laura Ruiz gave UE its first lead of the match with a service ace that made it a 4-3 game. After Marshall knotted the score at 9-9, Evansville came back with a 5-1 stretch to take its largest lead at 14-10. Alondra Vazquez, Melanie Feliciano and Kate Tsironis each contributed a kill.
Later in the set, the UE lead stood strong at 21-18 before a furious rally by the Thundering Herd gave them the opening-set win. Scoring seven of the final eight points, MU took the set by a 25-22 final.
Set 2 – UE 25, MU 19
UE opened the second set on a 3-0 stretch before relinquishing a 6-5 lead to the Herd. After MU extended its lead to 9-6, Evansville stormed back, scoring seven of the next eight tallies to jump out to a 13-10 edge. Steele and Feliciano added kills that pushed the edge to a game-high of six points (20-14). That 6-point deficit would remain strong with UE knotting the match on the strength of the 25-19 decision.
Set 3 – MU 25, UE 19
Out of the gate, it was the Thundering Herd taking a 9-4 advantage and pulling away from there. Trailing by a 24-15 tally, UE reeled off four in a row to close the gap with Marshall clinching the set, 25-19.
Set 4 – UE 25, MU 20
With the game knotted at 5-5, Evansville rallied to score four in a row with Feliciano picking up two kills and Vazquez adding an ace to make it a 9-5 game. Marshall fought back to get within one at 11-10 before UE countered with a 10-2 stretch to go up 21-12. Freeman and Feliciano each posted aces to extend the lead.
Evansville held a 24-14 lead and fended off a late rally to force a fifth game with a 25-20 win.
Set 5 – MU 15, UE 9
Another early hole proved to be the dagger as Marshall clinched the match with a 15-9 decision in game five. MU opened with four points in a row before going up 8-2. Evansville got as close as five points in the late stages before coming up short.
