Box Score
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Senior
Brooke Maher tied a game-high with 11 kills as the University of Evansville volleyball team cruised past Southern Illinois, 3-0, Friday evening at the Carson Center.
Maher notched 11 kills to go along with nine digs.
Ellen Sawin came up just a dig short of a triple-double, tallying 15 assists, ten kills and nine digs.
The Aces (13-14, 3-9 MVC) and Salukis (9-12, 3-9 MVC) fought back and forth early in the first set as eight ties occurred leading to an 8-8 score. A service error by SIU helped UE reel off the next three points as the Aces would roll to a 17-10 advantage. Aces seniors Maher, Sawin and
Kaisi Nixon notched consecutive kills to cement the lead.
After Southern Illinois scored the next five points to get within three (18-15), Evansville would wrap up the game on a 7-1 run. Sawin notched two kills and SIU made four errors over that stretch.
Jessica Whitehead, who led the Salukis with 11 kills, notched a pair early in the second frame to help her team jump to an early 5-3 lead. The Aces quickly fought back to score the next five and take an 8-5 advantage. UE’s lead would not go under three points over the remainder of the set as they would cruise to the 25-15 victory.
Set three was close early on, but another Evansville run would prove to be the difference as the Aces would finish off the sweep on the strength of another 25-15 win. With the set knotted at 4-4, UE reeled off the next five points and would continue to pull away. Maher was in a zone, notching four-consecutive kills at one point.
The offense for the Purple Aces had one of its top nights of the year, hitting .352 while recording 43 kills and holding the Salukis to 30 on the night. The defense was also stellar, limiting SIU to just a .047 attack percentage.
Evansville will have seven days off before continuing the home stand next Friday against Indiana State. The Sycamores will be at the Carson Center at 7 p.m. on Friday before Illinois State comes to town on Saturday evening for a 7 p.m. matchup.
