Trailing 2-0, the University of Evansville volleyball team made a furious rally, forcing a fifth set, but Indiana State took the deciding game by a 15-11 final to defeat the Purple Aces, 3-2, on Friday evening.
Rachel Tam paced the Aces (9-20, 3-13 MVC) with a game-high 21 kills. Alondra Vazquez recorded 14 while Mildrelis Rodriguez had 13. Five players had double figure digs, led by 21 from Vazquez and 17 by Allana McInnis. McInnis totaled 49 assists.
Leading the Sycamores (10-18, 3-13 MVC) was the duo of Cassie Kawa and Laura Gross, who had 13 kills apiece. Jade York had a game-high 25 digs.
Indiana State played a solid first set, picking up a 25-21 win. ISU took a 3-1 lead before the Aces battled back to tie it up at 7-7 as Rachel Tam picked up a kill. The Sycamores were able to retake the lead, going up 14-9 and held strong from there to clinch the first set of the night.
Evansville got off to a much better start in the second frame as kills by Tam and Kerra Cornist sent the team out of the gate with a 7-4 lead. Mildrelis Rodriguez found a groove, recording two kills to extend the lead to 11-6. The lead moved up to six points when Alondra Vazuez posted a kill to give the Aces an 18-12 advantage. That is when the Sycamores made their run. A 13-3 rally saw them finish off a 25-21 win.
Down 2-0 in the match, UE got back on track in game three. Evansville took a 12-8 lead with Rodriguez and Rocio Fortuny notching kills. The lead remained at 16-13 before ISU rallied once again, scoring four in a row to go up 17-16. Evansville wrestled the lead back, going up 19-17 on a bad set by the Sycamores. Indiana State got within one, but a kill by Joselyn Coronel capped off a 25-21 win.
Taking advantage of the momentum from their game three win, the Aces kicked it into high gear in the fourth frame, jumping out to an 8-3 lead. The defense forced three consecutive ISU errors. The Sycamores got within two at 8-6, but the Aces kept the pressure on with an 8-1 stretch that put them up 16-9. From there, UE pulled away for a 25-14 win to force the deciding set.
The Aces got off to a nice start, taking a 7-4 lead. ISU responded with a 5-2 run that tied it at 9-9. With the score still tied at 11-11, the Sycamores scored the final four points of the match to win by a 15-11 score to take the match, 3-2.
Two more contests remain for the Aces as they welcome Drake and UNI to Meeks Family Fieldhouse next weekend.
