Volleyball knocks off Illinois State in Monday night thriller

Aces improve to 11-3 and 2-1 in the Valley

In an epic matchup inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse, the University of Evansville volleyball team took down Illinois State by a 3-2 final on Monday evening.

With the score tied at 13-13 in the fifth set, Evansville (11-3, 2-1 MVC) scored the final two points to clinch one of the top wins in school history.  It marked UE’s fourth win against Illinois State (9-6, 2-1 MVC) in 51 tries and was the Aces first triumph against the Redbirds since October 8, 2010.  Evansville’s 11-3 start to the year is its best since 2011 and the 2-1 Valley start is the best since 2010.

“This is a great victory for our girls, we have talked so much about playing the MVC schedule and beating two teams in a row that make it to the conference tournament almost every year,” Aces coach Fernando Morales said.  “Illinois State is a team that was fighting for a spot in the top 25, so this is a big win for us.  This team keeps amazing me and they want to keep getting better.  They know they have a lot more work to do and that is good news.”

For the third time in as many league games, Melanie Feliciano had a 20-kill outing.  She recorded 20 along with nine digs and four block assists.  Alondra Vazquez had 13 while Rachel Tam finished with 10.  The Valley’s leading libero Gabriela Macedo posted 21 digs while one of the top setters in the nation – Allana McInnis – tallied 41 assists and nine digs.  Freshman Hannah Watkins played a pivotal role, adding seven block assists and one solo block.

Evansville took its first lead in the opening set on an Allana McInnis kill that made it a 4-3 game.  The Redbirds would respond with a 6-0 stretch that gave them a 10-5 advantage.  They extended their lead from there and finished with a 25-13 win.

Melanie Feliciano opened the second set with a pair of kills to give UE an early 2-0 edge, but the Redbirds took their first lead at 3-2 before pushing it out to 11-8.  The Aces fought right back, tying it up at 11-all on a Gabriela Macedo ace before opening up a 15-13 lead on consecutive ISU errors.  Illinois State tied it back up, but it was another ace that put UE back in front when Alondra Vazquez had her first of the night to give UE a 19-17 lead.  Feliciano added a kill as the lead extended to four at 21-17.  Illinois State made one more run, getting within one before Evansville rebounded to tie the match on the strength of a 25-22 win.

“We knew we played our worst set of the season in the first.  If they would beat us with us playing our game, we will hold our heads up,” Morales explained.  “Once we got through that set and felt like we could win the match, everything changed.”

Building off the momentum from their win in the second set, the Aces jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the third.  A Macedo ace made it a 3-0 game before an ace by Cecilia Thon capped off the run.  After ISU reeled off three in a row, the Aces showed their muscle once again, notching three in a row of their own with Hannah Watkins posting a kill and block to make it a 10-4 game.

The Aces did not stop there.  An ace from Feliciano and double block by McInnis and Watkins pushed the lead out even more to 12-4.  Evansville’s lead reached as many as nine points (15-6) before the Redbirds rallied to get within five at 21-16.  That is as close as it would get as UE fended off the challenge for a 25-19 win and a huge 2-1 lead in the contest.

Gabriela Macedo helped the Aces take another early lead when her back-to-back service aces made it a 5-2 game.  Illinois State regained its composure and picked up their first lead at 9-8.  Evansville quickly came back and took a 14-12 lead on consecutive Tam kills, but ISU wrestled the lead back, going up 21-16 on a big 6-0 run.  McInnis ended the stretch with a kill, but ISU tied the match, winning by a 25-21 score.

In the fifth game, ISU jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but the Aces cut the deficit to 5-4 on a block assist by Hannah Watkins and Vazquez.  Illinois State retook a 3-point edge at 7-4 before the Aces rallied once again.  Kills from Tam and Vazquez knotted it at 7-7 before ISU jumped back in front, 10-7.  The resilient Aces squad never gave up.  An amazing rally that saw 12 possessions saw UE pick up a hard-earned point.  Their efforts paid off when an ace by Vazquez put UE in front, 11-10.  With the score tied at 13-13, an ISU error put the Aces in front before the Aces clinched on another Redbird attack error, clinching the evening with a 15-13 triumph.

“The rally in the fifth set was a lot of fun to watch,” Morales continued.  “Before the match, I told our team we will win the long rallies.  If we keep rallies long, we will be in best position to win and that is what happened.”

This weekend, the Aces remain at home beginning with a match against Valparaiso on Friday at 6 p.m.  On Saturday, UE welcomes Loyola to Meeks Family Fieldhouse for a 5 p.m. contest.