VALPARAISO, Ind. – The University of Evansville volleyball team will look to keep its undefeated record intact as it travels to Valparaiso to take part in the Marriott Volley Brawl on Friday and Saturday.
The Purple Aces will once again play four matches in two days, beginning at 9 a.m. Friday against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. At 2 p.m. on Friday, UE will take on Ball State before playing Murray State at 9 a.m. on Saturday and host Valparaiso at 4:30 p.m.
Last weekend, the Aces rolled to a perfect 4-0 mark in the UNCG Invitational in Greensboro, N.C. The dominant weekend saw UE go 12-1 in sets on its way to the tournament championship.
Brooke Maher took home Tournament MVP honors. The senior recorded a .321 attack percentage to open the season while averaging 4.18 kills per set.
Maher was not the only Purple Ace to gain tournament honors as Kaisi Nixon and Rachel TenHoor were named to the All-Tournament Team while Katie Klages was named the Libero of the Tournament.
UE opens up the weekend against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The Islanders were 14-19 a year ago, but had a solid start to their season last weekend, going 2-1 at the Sam Houston State Invitational. They opened up with victories against Rutgers and Texas-Pan American before falling to host Sam Houston State.
In their second contest on Friday, the Aces will take on in-state rival Ball State. Last year, the Cardinals went an impressive 24-5 and have started off strong, post three wins and a loss.
Saturday begins with the first of two matchups against Murray State. The Aces and the Racers will also meet on Sept. 6 in Murray, Ky. Murray State participated in the Belmont Invitational last week, falling in all three matches while posting just one set win.
The tournament will wrap up for UE on Saturday afternoon when they will face host Valparaiso. The Crusaders began their 2011 campaign at the WVU Mountaineer Invitational. Following a 3-0 loss to #21 Ohio State, Valparaiso reeled off three-consecutive wins over West Virginia, Robert Morris and New Hampshire.
Following the Marriott Volley Brawl, Evansville will travel to Murray State on Tuesday before returning to the Carson Center for the Dunn Hospitality Invitational on Sept. 9 and 10. Schools scheduled to participate include Arizona, Illinois-Chicago and Southeast Missouri State.
