Volleyball rallies to defeat Morgan State in five sets

Aces are a perfect 5-0 on the season

 CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Mildrelis Rodriguez recorded 20 kills while Rachel Tam added 14 to pace the University of Evansville volleyball team to a thrilling 3-2 win over Morgan State in their second game of the Redhawks Invitational.

Evansville improved its season mark to a perfect 5-0 with the win while dropping Morgan State to 0-5.  Cathy Schreiber finished the night with nine kills while Rocio Fortuny chipped in seven.  Allana McInnis posted 33 assists while Taylor Jones finished with 17.  Cassie Brooks led the Aces with 15 digs while Erlicia Griffith had a game-high 8 block assists with Fortuny notching six.

Morgan State was led by Cristen Coryatt, who finished with 17 kills.  Roi Wallace led all players with 50 assists while Jasmine Hubbard had 21 digs.

“It was fun to witness how the girls were able to comeback from a tough situation. Their ability to compensate for each other was tremendous once again. Different players have been able to step up when needed the most,” Aces head coach Manolo Concepcion said.  “Today was Addie Payne and Taylor Jones coming in and creating spacing and an additional offensive tool. I admire how everyone knows that their role is valued in this program, and are not afraid to contribute when requested. I see a locker room where the star of the team is the team concept itself.”

The Bears had the upper had early on, taking the first to sets and opening up a 2-0 lead in the match.  The Purple Aces took a 3-0 lead in the opening frame but the Bears came back with a run of their own to go up 13-7 on a Cristen Coryatt kill.  It was a back-and-forth tilt before UE wrestled away a 20-17 lead thanks to a Tam score.  Morgan State battled back to take the win by a 28-26 score.

In the second game, Morgan State overcame a furious late rally by the Aces.  MSU was up 24-18 and looked to have the set in hand, but Evansville posted five in a row to get back within one at 24-23, but the Bears were able to score the final point and open up a 2-0 lead.

After dropping two close games, Evansville would not give up over the remainder of the night and their hard work finally paid off in the third frame.  With the score tied at 16-16, Cathy Schreiber had a kill and a service ace as UE scored four in a row to open up a 20-16 lead.  From there, they held on for a 25-22 triumph.

UE left it all on the table in the fourth frame.  After Morgan State jumped out to a 5-2 advantage, the Aces registered five in a row as Rodriguez posted three kills in the run.  That momentum was the beginning of a game-ending 23-7 stretch that saw the Aces force a deciding set with a 25-12 win.  Gabriela dos Santos notched a pair of service aces in the run while Schreiber and Taylor Jones also had one apiece.

With four hard-fought sets in the books, the fifth game did not disappoint.  UE took a 3-0 advantage but four in a row by the Bears saw them take the lead.  The action continued with nine ties leading to a 16-16 score.  In the prior points, MSU had match point on three occasions, but the Aces battled back.  The persistence paid off as Evansville forced two Morgan State errors to earn the 18-16 win to clinch the match.

Tomorrow, the Aces look for their second tournament championship in a row as they take on host Southeast Missouri State at 2 p.m.  Fans can watch the match live on the OVC Digital Network.