UE returns to action Saturday at Drake
Rocio Fortuny and Rachel Tam led the offense as the University of Evansville volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision at UNI on Friday evening at the McLeod Center.
Fortuny tied for the top tally in the match with nine kills for UE (4-19, 0-10 MVC) while Tam notched seven. Joselyn Coronel led the team with 10 assists while Mildrelis Rodriguez had a team-best 8 digs. Leading the Panthers (16-7, 7-3 MVC) offense was Kayla Haneline, who had nine kills in 17 attempts. Two others notched eight.
Notching four kills in the opening frame was Fortuny, but it was the Panthers who finished with the upper hand. UNI jumped out to a 7-1 lead before a Montana Schafer kill ended the run. Evansville kept the gap around five points before a 5-0 stretch gave the Panthers a 17-7 lead before the cruised to a 25-14 win.
In the second frame, the teams battled to a 3-3 tie. That is when UNI made its move, scoring 13 in a row to go up 16-3. From there, they grabbed a 2-0 lead thanks to a 25-10 win in the set.
The Aces played better in the third set, opening up a 3-2 lead on a Rachel Tam kill. After the Panthers fought back to take a 6-3 lead, UE made a run of its own as a Tam service ace got the squad back within one at 8-7. UNI was able to wrestle the lead away and clinch the match with a 25-14 victory.
Tomorrow evening, the Aces continue their trek through Iowa, playing Drake at 7 p.m. inside the Knapp Center.
