EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Evansville volleyball team will begin Missouri Valley play this weekend when they host Illinois State and Indiana State at Carson Center.

The Aces have won six of their last nine matches after dropping the first four games of the season. After finishing second over the weekend in the UNH Holly Young Invitational, the Aces dropped a match on Tuesday at home against Lipscomb. After losing the first two sets to the Lady Bisons, the Aces battled back to win sets three and four but eventually fell in the last set 13-15. Offensively, Sally Kulupka and Brooke Maher lead the Aces with 120 kills each. On defense, Julie Sylvester has a team-high 215 digs.

Illinois State comes into Friday’s match with a 6-5 overall record.  The
Redbirds are coming off a four-set loss to No. 23 Illinois. ISU has held its opponents to a .170 hitting percentage this season.  Offensively, Peggy Riessen leads the Redbirds with 148 kills (3.70 kps) and 164.5 points.  Senior setter Erin Lindsey is averaging 10.10 assists per set, and junior libero Kasey Mollerus has a team-high 150 digs.

The Sycamores have lost four straight matches and have not played a match since September 9 at Butler. Indiana State has lost 31 straight Valley matches and 28 straight MVC matches on the road. They are led by Jody Stoker with 132 kills on the season and Whitney Fromm, who has 384 assists.

The Aces will play the Redbirds on Friday and the Sycamores on Saturday. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m. in Carson Center. Live stats for the games will be available at www.gopurpleaces.com.