Volleyball to open 2017 season at Leatherneck Invitational

Aces to play on Friday and Saturday

A new season is here as the Purple Aces open up the 2017 campaign with a trip to Macomb, Ill. for the Leatherneck Invitational.  Evansville will take on Chicago State, Manhattan and Western Illinois to begin the season.

The season opens against the Cougars of CSU on Friday at 3 p.m. before two matches are slated for Saturday.  UE faces Manhattan at 10 a.m. before wrapping up against the host Leathernecks at 7 p.m.

“It is definitely exciting to work with this mix of young and veteran players. They have been all-in since day one, and I can see the hunger for program’s betterment in their deliberate/effective repetitions throughout pre-season camp,” Aces head coach Manolo Concepcion said.  “We see these next 12 matches as an opportunity to use our depth in our favor, by moving pieces around and giving us a chance to find the right combination of people that would provide us with the most added value to conference play.”

After playing the opening two tournaments on the road, UE will return home on Sept. 8 to officially open up Lois D. Patton Court at Meeks Family Fieldhouse.  The Aces kick off their remodeled facility against Indiana University before taking on UAB and UT Martin a day later.

Evansville returns all six starters from last season and 10 letterwinners overall.  Six newcomers also join the mix.

Junior Mildrelis Rodriguez has established herself as one of the top players in the Missouri Valley Conference.  She led the way for UE in kills, attempts and total digs.  She ranked in the top 20 in the league in three categories last year including kills (18th-2.73 per set), digs (17th-2.88 per set) and points (20th-2.95 per set).

Jelena Merseli is coming off of a solid campaign in 2016.  As a junior last season, Merseli ranked 6th in the Valley with an average of 6.60 assists per frame.

Establishing herself at the libero position in 2016 was Olivia Goldstein.  She paced Evansville with 3.15 digs per set, finishing in 15th in the conference.

Another solid offensive weapon for the Aces has been Rocio Fortuny.  The junior registered 232 kills last year, second on the squad.  Her average checked in at 2.25 per game.    Fortuny posted a career mark of 19 last season against Bradley.

Chicago State posted a 3-26 record in 2016 but look to rebound in 2017 as they welcome eight newcomers and five JUCO transfers.  The Cougars lost their top two offensive weapons from last season – Juma Armando and Dzeni Hadzisehovic – but Paige Eyring looks to take that spot as she notched 1.49 kills per set last year.

Manhattan went 12-20 last year, but have a recent history of success.  From 2013-2015, the Jaspers won 20 games each season.  They will also be undergoing a transition this season after losing their top two offensive players from last year while also welcoming a new coach – Lora Sarich.  Olyvia Chaltas looks to up her kill tally of 242 from 2016, which translated to an average of 2.28 per frame.

Hosting this weekend’s tournament is Western Illinois.  The Leathernecks finished the 2016 campaign with a 4-28 mark while going 1-15 in Summit League play.  They return 12 players from last year, including five starters.  Leading the way is Shalyn Greenhaw, who posted 291 kills last year, 2.97 per set.

“We feel that our ball control has improved, and that it will have a long term impact in our offensive phase,” Concepcion added.  “That, combined with the strong leadership that we have in the locker room, will help us achieve the individual and team benchmarks that we have in place.”