Box Score EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Purple Aces junior Ashley Ring led the team with 10 kills, but three Bears finished in double figures as Missouri State topped volleyball by a 3-0 final on Saturday evening at the Carson Center.
 
Ring finished with ten kills and eight digs for UE (8-16, 3-10 MVC) while Meaghan Holmes and Rachel TenHoor tallied eight kills apiece.  Katie Klages finished with 18 digs while Jenn Murphy had 27 assists.  Leading the Bears (17-9, 8-5 MVC) was Olivia Brand, who tallied 13 kills.  Karen Rivatto and Kayla Walton posted 11 apiece.
 
Walton was the difference in the opening frame, outdueling Ring 7-5 in the kill category.  Evansville had the early advantage, going up 11-6 on Ring's second kill.  TenHoor also had two kills in the early going.  Missouri State utilized a 4-0 run to get back in the game before eventually tying it up at 19-19.  The Aces looked to have control of the game as they held a 23-20 lead in a rally capped off by an MSU error.  Following a pair of Bear tallies, UE called timeout and Stephanie Cerino responded with a kill. 
 
With set point upcoming, the Bears fought back with four tallies in a row, taking a 26-24 win.  Both teams hit extremely well in the first stanza as MSU hit .375 and the Aces came in at a solid .286.
 
After a competitive opening frame, it was all Missouri State in the second as they took a 25-8 win.  The Bears reeled off 11 out of the first 13 points before finishing off the dominant win.  They hit .522 in the set while UE checked in at -.172.
 
Evansville refused to let the second set dictate the tempo as they played to the end in the third game.  MSU took an early 10-5 lead before three consecutive Holmes kills helped UE tally seven in a row to go up 12-10.  The Bears tallied two in a row to tie it back up before taking their next lead at 18-17.  The Aces tied it back up at 18-18, but Missouri State had the answer, rallying back to take a 25-22 win.
 
The Aces are back on the road for the next two weekends as they face UNI and Drake next weekend before traveling to SIU on Nov. 15.  The final weekend of the season will see Indiana State and Illinois State come to town on Nov. 22 and 23.