Box Score
The University of Evansville volleyball team is back on the winning track after taking a 3-1 victory over Bradley University tonight (25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-14).
“We were glad to come away with the wiin,” said head coach Mike Swan. “Our blocking really stepped up tonight, and we were very aggressive with our serves.”
As a team, the Aces ended the night with 56 kills and a .274 attack percentage. Defensively, UE tallied 9 total blocks and 66 digs on the night.
With 13 kills and 18 digs, junior Brooke Maher tabbed her second consecutive double-double performance, her seventh of the season. Maher was one of three Aces with double-digit kills, joined by junior Kaisi Nixon, with 12, and sophomore Hannah Wilson, with 10.
Freshman Kaitie Klages led the Aces’ defense, tallying a team-high 25 digs. Junior Ellen Sawin totaled 38 assists while recording a team-high .429 attack percentage on the night and adding three of the Aces’ five service aces.
Set one opened with a 4-4 standstill, but UE managed to pull away thanks to a kill by Wilson. The Braves threatened to tie the score five times, but the Aces managed to hold on to the lead for the rest of the game. After running the score to a 24-19 lead, the Aces took game one with a final kill by Sawin.
The Aces found themselves down 5-2 to start game one, but quickly recovered to tie the score at 6-all. The score was tied 12 more times throughout the game, as neither team could gain the offensive advantage. Standing at 21-all, UE took advantage of three Bradley errors before a kill by Nixon ended the game with a final score of 25-22.
The Aces looked like they were going to easily take game three as they took off with an early 7-2 lead. However, the Braves managed to chip away at the score until it was tied at 13-all. The score was tied again at 17-, 18-, 20- and 23-all, but two Bradley kills were enough to end the set in a Braves win, with a final score of 25-23.
The two teams were neck-and-neck to begin game four, but the Aces managed to pull away after a kill by Nixon at 9-9 sent the Aces on a six-point run. The lead proved to be too much for the Braves to overcome, and the Aces sat at a 10-point advantage before a service ace by Sawin ended the match with a 25-14 Aces win.
With the win, the Aces improve their record to 14-3 overall and 3-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play, while the Braves fall to 3-14 and remain winless against Valley teams. The Aces will return to action as they host Illinois State and Indiana State next weekend at Carson Center.
