EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Missouri Valley Conference play is set to get underway for the University of Evansville volleyball team as they will play host to Illinois State and Indiana State this weekend at the Carson Center.
 
The Aces welcome the Redbirds at 7 p.m. Friday before squaring off against the Sycamores at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Evansville (3-8) has fallen in its last four matches since sweeping Murray State in the home opener last week.  Last time out, the Aces lost a heartbreaker to Belmont in five sets on Tuesday evening.
 
Ashley Ring put forth her top performance at UE, tallying 28 kills against the Bruins.  That total was just four off of the UE single match record of 32.  Ring also chipped in defensively as she notched 16 digs.  She sits atop the MVC with her average of 3.94 kills per set.
 
Senior Hannah Wilson had a season-high 14 kills while notching 15 digs and Lauren Seyller had 12 digs in Tuesday’s match. 
 
Illinois State enters league play with a 6-4 mark and has won three-straight matches entering Friday’s MVC opener.  They swept their way through the Rocket Classic last weekend in Toledo as Ashley Rosch was named MVC Freshman of the Week after tallying 33 kills over the weekend, including a 14-kill, 13-dig effort versus Toledo.
 
The Redbirds pose one of the top defenses in the league as their opponent hitting percentage stands at .142.  That total is second behind Southern Illinois.
 
Indiana State begins its MVC schedule on Friday as they travel to Southern Illinois prior to coming to UE the next day.  The Sycamores have struggled their way to a 2-8 mark and lost eight consecutive matches before ending the streak last time out against Chicago State.
 
Shea Doran leads the way for the Sycamores as she has been named to the All-Tournament Team in all three of ISU’s events thus far.  She leads the team with 148 kills and 40 blocks.
 
Both Illinois State and Indiana State have won their last three matches against UE dating back to the 2010 season.