Box Score

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Senior Brooke Maher led the Purple Aces with 18 kills, but Jessica Whitehead countered with 21 as Southern Illinois grabbed a 3-2 win over the Evansville volleyball team on Friday evening.
 
The loss marks the marks the sixth straight for Evansville, who falls to 11-9 and 1-4 in Missouri Valley play.  Southern Illinois improved to 8-6 and 2-3 in the MVC.
 
Maher’s 18-kill effort is just one short of her season high of 19.  Ellen Sawin and Jessica Knackmuhs each put forth the top offensive nights of their careers.  Sawin recorded a career-best 13 kills while Knackmuhs set her UE mark with ten.  Kaisi Nixon finished with 12.  Jenn Murphy saw a large amount of time at setter, tallying a personal best 51 assists.
 
Southern Illinois opened up the night with a 25-18 win.  SIU would make their first run, going up 9-6 before a three-point spurt by the Aces tied the set.  The Salukis came right back with a 6-0 run that began with a Rachael Brown kill and would not see their lead go under four points as they would cruise to the win.
 
Evansville started out hot in the second set and would cruise to a lopsided victory of their own in the next set.  Three straight errors gave UE a 3-0 lead, which would eventually stretch out to an 11-3 advantage on the strength of a pair of Knackmuhs kills.
 
Brooke Maher helped the Aces continue their run, notching three kills to help UE go up by a 19-6 tally.  Southern Illinois made the set a bit closer, going on a 10-4 run, but another Maher kill saw the Aces record the final two points to take a 25-16 victory.
 
Another quick start helped UE take a 2-1 lead in the match with a 26-24 win in game three.  Maher’s four kills helped Evansville jump out to a 10-5 lead.  The Salukis clawed their way back into the game, getting within a pair, 18-16, but Ellen Sawin notched two kills as UE would reel off the next five points to go up 23-16. 
 
A sure win turned the other way as SIU five straight points and eight of nine to tie the game at 24.  Jessica Whitehead had two kills in the run, but the Aces were able to regroup as Maher and Knackmuhs each had a kill to seal a 26-24 win.
 
Set four was the Salukis turn to parlay a hot start into a win as they opened up with a 7-1 lead.  Elly Braaten notched two kills to begin the game.  Sawin’s strong offensive play continued as she notched a pair of kills as UE would cut the gap to four points, 13-9, but SIU would use a 5-1 run to take a 25-19 win and send the match to a fifth and deciding set.
 
The final set saw the Salukis take a 2-1 lead and never look back, taking the match with a 15-10 win.  SIU stretched their lead to 6-2 early on before another Knackmuhs kill and an error brought UE within a pair.  The clinching run came in the form of an 8-2 stretch that saw SIU take a 13-6 lead and cruise to the win.
 
Evansville will have a week to regroup before taking to the road next Friday at Illinois State before traveling to Indiana State for a Saturday evening match.