Volleyball falls in opening two contests in Morehead, Ky.Aces face Eagles in Saturday’s finale
MOREHEAD, Ky. – Two hard-fought matches on Friday saw the University of Evansville volleyball team drop a 5-set match to Eastern Michigan before losing a 3-0 decision to Duquesne in the Comfort Inn-Vitational at Johnson Arena.
Match 1 – Eastern Michigan 3, UE 2
Giulia Cardona posted 26 kills, but Kaili Doctor had 17 to pace Eastern Michigan to a 5-set win over the Purple Aces in Friday’s opener. Along with her dig total, Cardona added 20 digs and five blocks. Melanie Feliciano added 13 kills while Madisyn Steele had eight and Jenna Heidbreder finished with six. Lexi Owen had 47 assists and 12 digs while Maddie Hawkins chipped in 12 digs and three aces. Cardona picked up five aces of her own.
Set 1 – EMU 25, UE 20
Things got started with a close battle in the opening frame. Four in a row by the Aces broke a 7-7 tie as Feliciano notched two kills and a block. The Eagles fought back with four in a row before a late 3-0 stretch broke a 16-16 tie. EMU did not look back as they took the set by five points.
Set 2 – UE 25, EMU 19
Evansville had the upper hand to begin with a kill from Steele capping a 3-1 start. Eastern Michigan knotted the score at 5-5 and wrestled away a 9-7 edge. The turning point for UE came with the score tied at 15-15. Back-to-back service aces from Heidbreder gave the Aces the lead for good.
Following a time out, EMU scored to make it a 17-16 game, but the Aces countered with four in a row and would cruise to the 6-point win.
Set 3 – EMU 28, UE 26
Another strong start saw Evansville open a 4-1 lead with Cardona adding a pair of kills to her total. She added two more kills and consecutive aces to solidify a 7-3 advantage. EMU slowly made its way back, getting within a point on multiple occasions before an ace by Krystell Pappas put UE in front by a 17-14 margin.
The Eagles stormed back with a 5-1 run to go up 19-18, however, two more Cardona aces put UE on top, 23-21. Eastern Michigan quickly tied the score at 23-23 before an error gave Evansville set point. Unfortunately, the Eagles were able to take the 28-26 win.
Set 4 – UE 25, EMU 22
For the third set in a row, UE had the early momentum, recording the first three points. An ace from Maddie Hawkins extended the early lead to 6-2. Once again, EMU chipped away before eventually tying the score at 14-14 before taking their first lead of the frame at 20-19.
After the Eagles took a 22-21 edge, the Aces took control as they scored the final four points to force a fifth set. Hawkins picked up another ace while Heidbreder had the clinching kill.
Set 5 – EMU 15, UE 10
Steele and Cardona combined on a block to give UE an early 2-0 lead while Eastern Michigan fought back with a 6-1 stretch to take a 6-3 lead. Three in a row by the Aces tied the score, but EMU came back with a pair to go up 8-6. Evansville once again came back to tie it up, but the Eagles changed the course of the match with a 6-0 run before clinching the match with a 15-10 win.
Match 2 – Duquesne 3, UE 0
For the second time on Friday, Giulia Cardona led the Purple Aces with 13 kills but it was Duquesne taking the match by a 3-0 final. Melanie Feliciano recorded 9 kills and a team-best 13 digs while Lexi Owen posted 22 assists. Madisyn Steele was credited with three solo blocks and two block assists.
Set 1 – DU 25, UE 23
Madisyn Steele had an early solo block to give Evansville a 2-0 advantage while Maddie Hawkins had an ace to make it a 4-2 game. The Dukes rebounded with the next three tallies to take their first lead at 5-4. From there, the squads battled it out with UE looking to take control when an ace from Lexi Owen made it a 19-16 game.
A kill from Cardona set the Aces up with a 23-20 lead, but Duquesne had one final rally left, reeling off the final five points to take the set.
Set 2 – DU 25, UE 20
Another back-and-forth contest ensued as the teams battled to multiple tie scores throughout the majority of the frame. Duquesne was the first to take a multi-point edge, going up 17-15. Evansville rallied back when an ace from Melanie Feliciano put the Aces on top at 19-18. Another late rally by the Dukes saw them score five in a row before taking a 2-0 lead with a 25-20 decision.
Set 3 – DU 25, UE 22
After the Dukes held an early 7-5 lead, a kill from Steele tied the score at 7-7. Duquesne scored the next two and would hold the lead for the remainder of the set. An ace gave them their largest advantage at 21-16 before UE closed to two points when a block from Chloe Cline and Angelica Gonzalez made it a 22-20 game. Duquesne got back on track to win the match with a 25-22 decision in the third set.
