Box Score (PDF)
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Evansville volleyball team jumped out of the gates early with an impressive first-set victory, and used that momentum to cruise past the visiting Bradley University Braves, 3-0, at Meeks Family Court inside the Carson Center in Evansville, Indiana on Friday night. UE swept the Braves 25-14, 25-21, 25-19.
UE broke open a back-and-forth first set with a set-closing 12-2 run, fueled by the offensive play of junior setter Jenn Murphy and the serving of sophomore outside Ashley Ring. Murphy totaled three of her career-high six kills during UE’s set-ending run, while Ring finished off the set, serving the final six points of the set, including unleashing three aces, to give UE a 25-14 first-set victory.
“I thought that the end of the first set really set the tone for us tonight,” said UE head coach Mike Swan. “Jenn Murphy did a great job in that first set of guiding our offense, and I thought that she had a great effort tonight and showed great leadership. I also thought that Ashley really played big for us tonight, and the way she closed out the first set was impressive, with three aces in four points.
“The biggest thing for us tonight was that we played with great energy I thought. The first set helped set the tone, and then after that, I felt like we were in control of the match for the most part.”
Set two saw both teams battle back and forth until Evansville finished the set strong again, as UE won five of the set’s final seven points to post a 25-21 advantage. After starting set three slowly, Evansville caught fire midway through the set, with senior outside Hannah Wilson serving six-straight points for UE to give the Purple Aces a lead it would never lose. Wilson put the finishing touches on the match with a resounding kill to the center of the Bradley defense to give UE a 25-19 victory in set three and complete the sweep over the Braves.
Wilson tied with Ring for team-high honors with nine kills, while Murphy totaled six kills with only one error in 12 swings for a .417 attack percentage. Murphy also totaled 28 assists and recorded a team-high four block assists to direct both the offense and the defense. Sophomore outside hitter Courtney Keefe paced Bradley’s offense with nine kills.
With the victory, Evansville improves to 9-19 overall and 4- 11 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Bradley, meanwhile, slips to 9-18 overall and 3-13 in the MVC. Evansville will wrap up the 2012 home schedule on Saturday night at 5:00 p.m., as UE will host the University of Northern Iowa Panthers inside the Carson Center. Saturday’s match will be “Senior Day” for UE, with seniors Jessica Knackmuhs and Hannah Wilson being honored in pre-match festivities.
