Aces face Illinois State and Bradley this weekend
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Missouri Valley Conference play opens with two huge tests when the University of Evansville volleyball team welcomes Illinois State and Bradley to Meeks Family Fieldhouse. The weekend opens on Friday with a 6 PM match versus the Redbirds before the Purple Aces face the Braves on Saturday at 5 PM.
Back on the Floor
– On Friday, Alondra Vazquez made her return to the floor after missing seven matches due to an injury
– She made an immediate impact in her first match back, picking up 25 kills against Chicago State while leading the Aces to a 3-1 win…she hit .364 while picking up 14 digs and 4 assists
– Through the opening stages of the 2022 season, Vazquez was already set some of the top numbers in the NCAA
Pinpoint Accuracy
– Continuing her accuracy in the 2022 season, Madisyn Steele ranks second in the MVC, hitting .337 on the season
– The sophomore is coming off the top offensive contest of her career, accumulating her top total of 15 kills versus Oakland
– Steele has hit .387 or higher in three of the last five matches
– She has posted at least three kills in all 14 matches thus far and checks in with an average of 1.63 per set
– On the defensive side, Steele recorded at least one block in all but one match and set her season mark with 8.0 total blocks against Chicago State
All-Around Effort
– Evansville’s trip to the Green & White Classic at Michigan State saw sophomore Giulia Cardona record an average of 4.25 kills and 3.08 digs per set, both team bests
– In the win over Chicago State, Cardona picked up her first double-double of the season as she recorded 18 kills and a career-high 18 digs
– It did not take long for her to notch another double-double as she began Saturday with a season-high 22 kills along with 17 digs versus Oakland
– Her season average of 3.80 kills per set ranks 4th in the MVC
Adjusting to the new level
– Through her first six matches, Maddie Hawkins played a total of 14 sets while picking up six digs, an average of 0.43
– Since then, Hawkins has adjusted well, totaling 36 kills over her last 24 frames, an average of 1.5 per set
– Included in that time was her to total of 9 digs in the win over Chicago State; Hawkins added seven digs in the home contest versus Tennessee State
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