UE plays two 5-set matches on Saturday
INDIANAPOLIS – In an exciting day that saw the University of Evansville volleyball team play in a pair of 5-set matches, the Purple Aces finished strong as they defeated Purdue Fort Wayne inside Hinkle Fieldhouse. Saturday’s opener saw the Purple Aces drop a 3-2 decision to Middle Tennessee State before rebounding to take the weekend finale. With the opening tournament complete, the Aces set their sights on Wednesday’s home opener against Michigan State.
MATCH 2 – UE 3, PFW 2
Brooke Herdes tied for the match high with 17 kills to help the Aces take a 3-2 win over the Mastodons. Hinsley Everett and Carlotta Pascual Centelles had 15 kills apiece. Ainoah Cruz tallied 31 digs and 9 assists while Kora Ruff finished with 44 assists and 15 digs. Sabrina Ripple had a strong all-around performance as she finished with eight kills, three solo blocks, and four block assists.
Game 1 – UE 25, PFW 22
It was all Mastodons in the early moments as they opened on a 3-1 stretch before extending the lead to 12-5. PFW’s lead reached as many as eight points (17-9) before the Aces stormed back. Back-to-back kills by Brooke Herdes saw UE cut the deficit to just three points at 19-16.
With PFW continuing to hold a 3-point lead at 22-19, Evansville clawed back once again scoring the final six points to take the set. Everett got things going with a kill while four consecutive errors put UE in front at 24-22. Sabrina Ripple’s solo block clinched the set and a 1-0 UE lead.
Game 2 – UE 30, PFW 28
Purdue Fort Wayne had another big start, taking a 5-2 lead to open the set. They added to their edge, going up 13-7. That is when Evansville made its move. A 10-3 rally turned that deficit into a 17-16 lead. Herdes notched three kills during the rally. After the Mastodons retook a 20-19 edge, UE fought back to take a 23-22 lead on a kill by Ripple. The teams continued to swap the lead before Carlotta Pascual Centelles and Ripple combined on a block and Everett followed with a kill to seal a 30-28 win.
Game 3 – PFW 25, UE 23
Looking to finish the match in three sets, the Aces scored the first three points with Maddie Hawkins recording a service ace. Throughout the middle portion of the set, both teams took multiple leads. Kendall Agler’s ace tied things up at 22-22 before PFW picked up the next two tallies. Kora Ruff and Chloe Cline assisted on a block, but the Mastodons clinched the set with a 25-23 win.
Game 4 – PFW 25, UE 19
Building on the momentum from their win in the third, PFW stormed out to a 10-2 lead in the fourth game. They continued to hold a solid lead up 20-12 before Evansville made things interesting. Pascual Centelles notched a kill that cut the deficit to just three at 21-18 before the Mastodons regrouped to force a fifth set.
Game 5 – UE 15, PFW 7
Kills by Lexi Owen, Everett, and Ripple helped the Aces jump out to a 3-1 lead. After the Mastodons tied the score at 4-4, UE countered with four in a row to go up 8-4. Herdes had two kills during the rally. As UE zeroed in on the victory, it was Chloe Cline taking control as she recorded four kills, a solo block, and block assist to put her team in front 14-7. An ace by Herdes clinched the match for UE.
MATCH 1 – MTSU 3, UE 2
Hinsley Everett finished with 17 kills while Ryan Scheu added 15 in a 5-set contest to open the day. Kora Ruff tallied 41 assists and 14 digs while Ainoah Cruz led all players with 29 digs. Three Middle Tennessee State players had double figure kills with Payton Deidesheimer posting 15.
Game 1 – UE 25, MTSU 23
Middle Tennessee State opened the match on a 3-1 run and would hold the lead throughout the early portion of the contest. Evansville took advantage of a Blue Raider error to tie things up for the first time at 9-9. Josdarilee Caraballo registered a pair of kills that put Evansville in the lead for the first time at 14-13.\
Neither team led by more than two points in a competitive set that saw the squads swap the lead on multiple occasions down the stretch. After MTSU went up 22-21, a kill by Scheu saw UE retake a 23-22 edge. After the Blue Raiders tied the score, Caraballo picked up another kill before a MTSU error gave UE the win.
Game 2 – MTSU 25, UE 20
Another quick start saw the Blue Raiders open a 7-3 lead out of the gate. Two in a row by UE got them within a pair, but MTSU retook control as they opened a 19-12 advantage. Evansville closed within four points on a few occasions, but the Blue Raiders held strong to tie the match.
Game 3 – MTSU 26, UE 24
Early in the third frame, UE had control with two Everett kills putting her team up 6-3. The Blue Raiders rallied to tie the score at 9-9 but UE wrestled away a 15-12 edge on another Everett kill. The defining stretch came at that time when MTSU scored six points in a row to go up 18-15. Evansville stormed back to tie things up at 20-20 with Scheu registering the kill. An error by the Blue Raiders gave UE set point at 24-23, but a late spurt saw MTSU score the final three points to take the set.
Game 4 – UE 25, MTSU 19
Playing its best set of the match, UE opened the fourth on a 4-2 run led for the majority of the frame. After MTSU took a 6-5 edge, the Aces scored four in a row to go up 9-6 with Everett and Scheu picking up kills. An error by the Blue Raiders led to a 17-11 edge for the Aces and the squad never looked back. Chloe Cline picked up the clinching kill to force a fifth set.
Game 5 – MTSU 15, UE 7
Middle Tennessee State scored five of the opening six points and pulled away to take the match on the strength of a 15-7 win in the final set. After trailing by five in the early moments, the Aces cut the deficit to four but could not get any closer.
