Aces split opening MVC weekend
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Picking up a split in the opening Missouri Valley Conference weekend, the University of Evansville volleyball team takes to the road this weekend to play Belmont and Murray State. UE faces the Bruins on Friday at 6 p.m. while Saturday’s match versus the Racers is at 5 p.m. with both contests on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
– Scoring the final nine points of the MVC opener against Valpo, the Purple Aces overcame an 11-6 deficit to take the 5th set
– Giulia Cardona had 29 kills in the contest while Angelica Gonzalez added a career-high of 14
– Cardona broke the program kills record on Saturday against UIC, finishing with 21 kills as the Aces fell by a 3-1 final
Another Week, Another Record
– One week after breaking the UE all-time mark for aces, Giulia Cardona surpassed Alondra Vazquez’ UE mark of 1,911 kills
– With 21 versus the Flames, Cardona now has 1,917 in her illustrious career as she opened the weekend with 29 in the win over the Beacons
– One week prior, she broke Evansville mark for service aces and now has 209; the previous record of 205 was set by Kim Seib in 1984
– Cardona holds the NCAA lead in total kills (283), total points (328.0), total attacks (823) and attacks per set (14.70)
– Her season average of 5.05 kills per frame paces the MVC and ranks 3rd nationally
Career Mark
– Highlighted by a carer-high 14 kills against Valparaiso, Angelica Gonzalez is on the top streak of her UE career
– Gonzalez set career marks in kills (14) and attempts (35) in the win over the Beacons
– She had 8 kills in both matches of the USI Invitational and is averaging 1.9 kills/set over the last four outings
– In the season opener against Akron, Gonzalez had 13 kills
Midseason Form
– Despite missing the opening part of the season, Ainoah Cruz has quickly reached peak form with 23 digs in two of her four matches
– Cruz picked up 23 in her first contest of the season at USI before matching that tally in the win over Valpo
– Through her four matches, Cruz is averaging 3.65 digs per set
Scouting the Opposition
– Friday’s weekend opener has the Aces visiting Belmont, who is 5-9 overall and 0-2 in the MVC
– The Bruins put up strong efforts last weekend at Illinois State and Bradley, falling to both in five sets
– Brooke Gilleland has averaged a team-best 3.58 kills
– Murray State opens the weekend with a record of 6-5 after splitting last weekend’s road trip
– The Racers earned a 3-1 win at ISU before falling in five sets to Bradley
– Ella Vogel paces the Racer offense with 4.35 kills per game
