Boxscore
The 16-7 University of Evansville volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision against Bradley tonight. The Braves pulled out the win with final set scores of 21-24, 25-17, 22-25 and 19-25
“Obviously it was a very disappointing loss at home,” said head coach Mike Swan. “I thought we were very tentative in a lot of aspects of the game. Our serving was not as aggressive as it normally is and we seemed timid on defense. In the end, we just didn’t execute as well as we should have.
“We didn’t play how we’ve been playing all year and it hurt us,” added Swan. “Bradley was just a better team in all phases of the game tonight.”
As a team, Evansville hit .209 on the night. Despite the set scores, UE managed to put up more match kills, blocks and digs than the Braves.
Sophomore Hannah Wilson notched her fourth double-double of the season, recording 13 kills and 17 digs on the night. Senior Emily Wandersee downed 19 kills in the four-set match while hitting .351. Junior Kaisi Nixon led the team with a .400 attack average while also dishing out a team-high six block assists.
Set one began tied at 4-all, but a Bradley kill swung momentum to their side of the court and gave the Braves the lead. Once in control of the game, Bradley never looked back. UE put up 14 kills in the set, but the Braves held off the Aces and took game one with a final score of 25-21.
The Aces rebounded quickly and were off to a 10-4 start in game two. Evansville tallied 17 kills and hit .441 as they controlled the score the entire game. The Braves would never get closer than four points away from catching up to UE as the Aces took the set with a score of 25-17.
The third set started with a 3-0 Aces lead, but Bradley managed to turn it around and take control with a 10-7 advantage. UE rallied back to regain the lead, but the Braves tied it up at 21-all. The Aces brought the game within two at a 24-22 match point, but a kill by Bradley would give the Braves the victory.
The Braves jumped out to an early 14-6 lead to start the final set. The Aces tried to catch up, but the lead proved to be too much for UE to overcome. A final Bradley kill at 24-19 would clinch the game and match for the Braves.
With the loss, the Aces drop to 5-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Aces return to action tomorrow as they host #13 Northern Iowa. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. Tomorrow’s match will also feature the annual volleyball Halloween costume contest.
