Texas A&M CC Box Score
Ball State Box Score
VALPARAISO, Ind. – The University of Evansville volleyball team’s undefeated streak came to an end as it split a pair of matches on day one of the Marriott Volley Brawl in Valparaiso, Ind.
Evansville stands at 5-1 on the season and will wrap up the tournament against Murray State and host Valparaiso on Saturday.
“Naturally we wanted to top Ball State, but it was a very competitive match,” head coach Mike Swan said. “We let game one slip away and lost our confidence in game two, but I was impressed with how we were able to regroup for the remainder of the match. We had our chances, but did not capitalize. Aside from that, I really liked our effort.”
The Aces opened up the day against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Rachel TenHoor picked up right where she left off after a successful opening weekend, leading UE with 14 kills against the Islanders. TenHoor recorded a .542 attack percentage in the match. Last weekend’s Libero of the Tournament at UNC Greensboro, Katie Klages, recorded 13 digs while senior Ellen Sawin notched 41 assists.
The Aces took a 3-0 sweep of the Islanders. UE took a 25-19 win in set one, a 25-23 triumph in the second before wrapping up the match with a 25-18 win to complete the sweep, its fourth sweep of the season.
“Our match against Texas A&M CC went as we expected,” Swan continued. “We did not execute nearly as well against them as we did against Ball State, but we feel that match prepared us for the afternoon.”
Friday afternoon’s match against Ball State saw the Cardinals jump to a two-set lead. BSU slid past UE, 26-24, in set one before taking a ten-point, 25-15, victory in the second.
The Aces regrouped to take a 25-18 win in game three. Sophomore Lauren Seyller notched four of her team-high 13 kills to lead UE. Evansville squeaked out a 26-24 win in set four to send the match to a fifth and deciding game.
Ball State proved to be too much in the final set. With the score knotted at 1-1, the Cardinals scored five of the next six points and never looked back, taking the 15-10 win to seal the match.
Brooke Maher put forth a solid effort against BSU, finishing with 15 digs and 10 kills. Seyller led UE with 13 kills while Kaisi Nixon notched 11. Klages once again found herself in double figures with 14 digs. Kelsey Brandl of Ball State led all players with 20 kills while Brittany McGinnis notched a match-high 54 assists.
Following Saturday’s action, UE will travel to Murray, Ky. to face Murray State on Tuesday before hosting the Dunn Hospitality Invitational next weekend at the Carson Center.
