The 14-3 University of Evansville volleyball team will return to Carson Center to host Illinois State and Indiana State in this weekend’s Missouri Valley Conference match-ups. The Aces will take on Illinois State Friday before bringing in Indiana State Saturday. Both match times are slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.
This week, UE is ranked 78th in RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) as determined by the NCAA. Six other MVC schools are ranked higher than the Aces, including number four-ranked UNI, which speaks volumes to the competitiveness of the conference. The Aces were also ranked 27th in the nation for win-loss percentage while earning 44th place for team attack percentage.
The Aces enter the weekend after winning three of their five MVC contests. UE’s only conference losses have come to the first and second place teams in the Valley, #15 Northern Iowa and Creighton. As a team, the Aces lead the Valley in hitting percentage with a .248 average and are second best behind UNI with 13.07 kills per set. So far this season, UE has out-blocked its opponents 128.5-91, averaging 2.3 blocks per set. With 64 service aces on the season, the Aces are sixth in the league with 1.1 4 aces per set.
Junior Brooke Maher currently leads the offense with 197 kills on the season, while senior Emily Wandersee owns the team-high attack percentage of .353 with 192 kills. Junior Ellen Sawin is currently ranked first in the Valley and 49th in the nation with an average of 10.49 assists per set. Defensively, freshman Katie Klages notched her 200th career dig this weekend as she totaled 52 digs on the weekend, including a season-high 27 digs against #15 UNI.
The Illinois State Redbirds enter the weekend as the seventh place team in the MVC with a 2-3 conference record, 12-6 overall. As a team, the Redbirds are hitting .207 with 900 kills on the season. The Redbirds’ leading hitter is senior Mallory Leggett, who has downed 243 kills so far. Leggett and junior Tabitha Visk also lead the service line for the Redbirds with 23 service aces each. In the back row, sophomore Jenny Menendez leads the defense with 302 digs on the season, averaging 4.44 per set.
Winless in five MVC matches, the Indiana State Sycamores take an 8-10 overall record into this weekend. The Sycamores have posted a .185 team attack percentage so far this season. The offense is led by sophomore Morgan Dall, who has tallied a league-high 279 kills on the season. Dall also holds a team-high 175 digs and is ranked sixth in the league averaging .34 service aces per set with 20 total aces. Two Sycamores have posted triple-digit assists, as freshman Loni Mackinson has totaled 364 while junior Shelbi Fouty follows with 290.
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