Weekend finale set for Saturday afternoon
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Five Purple Aces recorded kills as the University of Evansville volleyball team outlasted Western Illinois to earn a 3-2 victory on Friday evening inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse. UE dropped its opening contest of the day to UAB in five sets.
Match 2 – UE 3, WIU 2
Brooke Herdes recorded 15 kills while Sabrina Rippled had 13 and Ryan Scheu posted 12 to pace UE to a win over Western Illinois. Chloe Cline and Hinsley Everett registered 11 kills apiece. Lexi Owen led the way with 38 assists while Ainoah Cruz chipped in 27 digs. Ripple added a solo block and six block assists.
Game 1 – WIU 27, UE 25
Western Illinois opened the night with a 3-1 advantage before Evansville took the lead with a 4-0 run. Sabrina Ripple, Brooke Herdes, and Chloe Cline each posted a kill during the stretch. The Leathernecks fought back as they retook the lead on a run that saw them go up 11-8.
Cline and McKenzie Laubach combined on a block that saw the Aces rally to tie the score at 15-15 before WIU regained the lead, going up 19-16. Ainoah Cruz registered an ace to cut into the deficit before a Ryan Scheu kill put UE on top at 21-20. Another kill from Ripple gave UE a 23-22 edge before the Leathernecks responded with a pair to jump back in front. Laubach’s third kill of the match returned the lead to Evansville before a late spurt saw WIU pick up the win.
Game 2 – UE 25, WIU 21
After WIU scored the first point, Evansville stormed back with six in a row. Scheu posted two kills to open the stretch. She added two more kills to her tally to extend the lead to 13-7. Cline recorded a kill to put Evansville up by seven at 18-11 when WIU made its run. Five in a row by the Leathernecks cut the UE lead to just a pair at 18-16. Cline got her squad back on track with a kill before the 11th of the night by Scheu knotted the match at 1-1.
Game 3 – UE 25, WIU 17
Brooke Herdes had consecutive kills to help UE open the third game on a 5-2 run. The Aces continued to hold the lead through the middle portion of the frame when an ace by Kora Ruff pushed the advantage to 14-10. Evansville continued to hold strong, extending the lead to 19-12 on a kill from Cline. The advantage grew to 10 points before the Aces closed out the 25-17 victory.
Game 4 – WIU 25, UE 19
The Leathernecks started the fourth by taking a 4-2 lead before stretching it out to an 11-6 advantage. Helped by a Laubach kill, the Aces scored the next two, however, WIU rebounded to go back up 15-9. Two blocks by Ripple got the charge rolling with Evansville reeling off six in a row to tie the game at 15-15. Lexi Owen posted an ace while Hinsley Everett tied the score with a kill. Just as fast as UE made its run, WIU retook control with five in a row before forcing a fifth set with the 25-19 win.
Game 5 – UE 15, WIU 10
Out of the gate it was the Leathernecks taking the early 4-1 lead. Cline helped her squad grab the lead when back-to-back kills made it a 7-6 game before Everett registered a kill to put UE on top at 10-8. UE held strong from there with a Herdes kill clinching the victory.
Match 1 – UAB 3, UE 2
Trailing 2-0 in the match, Evansville won the third and fourth sets before UAB took the match in five sets. Chloe Cline and Sabrina Ripple tallied nine and eight kills, respectively. Cline notched a pair of solo blocks. Ainoah Cruz finished with a match-high 17 digs while Lexi Owen had 25 assists. With her efforts, Cruz has eclipsed 1,000 digs in her UE career. UAB was led by Jorda Crook’s 21 kills.
Game 1 – UAB 25, UE 11
A strong start to the opening frame saw the Blazers take an 8-4 lead. An ace by Sabrina Ripple cut the deficit in half to make a 10-8 game but UAB countered with four aces in a row to take their largest lead at 15-8. They continued to add to the advantage and would cruise to a 25-11 win to open the match.
Game 2 – UAB 25, UE 17
Another quick start by UAB turn a 3-3 tie into an 11-6 advantage. Evansville battled back as an ace by Ripple was followed by a Hinsley Everett kill that cut the Blazer lead to 16-13. The Aces continued to remain within striking distance, utilizing an error to make it a 20-17 game. A late spurt by UAB saw them score the final five points to take a 2-0 match lead.
Game 3 – UE 25, UAB 23
With the game tied at 4-4, Evansville scored six of the next seven points to open a 10-5 lead. Chloe Cline’s solo block got things going while Everett added an ace. UE continued its strong showing as the Aces pushed the lead to 17-10. Ryan Scheu had two kills and a block during the rally.
The Blazers did not go down without a fight, battling back to tie the game at 20-20 before going up 22-20 during a 6-0 run. Sabrina Ripple took control recording three kills over the next four points to set her team up with a 24-22 edge. Following a point by UAB, Brooke Herdes’ kill sent the match to a fourth set.
Game 4 – UE 25, UAB 22
UAB opened the set on a 5-2 run before UE tied it up at 8-8 before taking a 10-9 lead on an ace by Ainoah Cruz. Carlotta Pascual Centelles added a kill that put her team in front by a 12-9 margin. After the Blazers posted the next three points to tie things up, the Aces immediately answered. Ripple, Herdes, and Everett notched kills that put UE back in front by three.
Once again, UAB did not go down without a fight. Another rally knotted the score at 21-21. Ripple put the Aces back in front with a kill and UE would take the 25-22 win to force a fifth set.
Game 5 – UAB 15, UE 11
An early battled led to a 5-5 tie before UAB took control with four in a row to go up 9-5. Their edge grew to six points at 13-7 when Evansville made one final rally. An ace by Herdes made it a 13-10 game, but the Blazers overcame the stretch to finish with the victory.
UE wraps up the tournament on Saturday with a 3 p.m. match versus Morehead State.
