Junior Julie Sylvester stands out on the volleyball court. Sure she wears a different uniform than everyone else on the team, but Sylvester has also put on the uniform of being a consistent force for UE and a major contributor to the Aces’ success.

“I think the last three weeks Julie has been playing the best volleyball of her career,” said Evansville head coach Mike Swan. “She has been our most consistent passer on serve receive and that shows through our percentages. She has had some phenomenal matches as of late, and she is doing the things that we need her to do.

“Her understanding of the game is great, and she is a competitor,” Swan said. “That is something that we look for in our libero—something that someone is going to rally behind on the court.”

With Sylvester anchoring the back row, UE stands at 13-12 overall and could be on its way to its first winning record in volleyball since the 2000 season.

“I feel really good about this season,” Sylvester said. “I think we have all grown as a team. I think we have young team, but the freshmen have stepped it up. They are always playing and mean a lot to this team. I think that we have gotten close as a team, and it has shown up on the court.”

The Aces are also tied for fifth with a 6-7 Missouri Valley record and hoping to secure a spot for the State Farm MVC Tournament during the Thanksgiving holiday. UE made the tournament last season after a 14-18 overall record.

“It was a blast last year at the tournament because we didn’t go my freshman year,” Sylvester said. “It was an honor and made our team realize what we were capable of doing and set a new standard for us. We realized that we should be making it every year.”

UE will face tough opponents during the weekend with Missouri State (17-7, 10-2 MVC) coming in on Friday and Wichita State (18-4, 9-3 MVC) on Saturday with both games slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. at Carson Center. With both teams at the top of the conference, the Aces will have a major challenge in front of them.

However, with stats like Sylvester’s, the Aces’ defense has a chance against any opponent. This season, Sylvester has notched 464 digs and averages 4.73 digs per set. The Carmel, Indiana native has helped this UE team to currently rank 18th in the NCAA in digs per set with 17.21. In her career, Sylvester has recorded 1,192 digs, which moves her to 6th in the all-time career digs list at UE.

“I think it’s an honor to even make the list,” Sylvester said. “I would have never thought my freshman year that I would even get close to the career digs list, but now that I’m on it, it makes me want to work harder to try to get higher on the list.”

The Aces have set themselves up for success of making the tournament. Now the Aces have to play hard, play smart and play together to reach their goal. Sylvester and her fellow teammates know what they need, and this weekend could be a major step in the right direction for the program.

“We definitely need upsets,” Sylvester said. “We definitely need to upset either Missouri State or Wichita State this weekend. We need to let everyone in the conference know what we are capable of doing and that they need to be worried about us.”