EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With two weekends of Missouri Valley Conference play under their belts, the Purple Aces volleyball team returns to the Carson Center this weekend for its first two home league matches of the season.
 
Bradley will be the first opponent of the weekend.  The Aces and Braves will square off at 7 p.m. on Friday before UE welcomes Loyola to the Carson Center for a 6 p.m. match on Saturday.
 
Last weekend, the Aces continued Valley play at Indiana State and Illinois State.  Evansville put forth a strong effort on Friday at Indiana State before falling just short in a 3-1 loss.  The Aces hit .234 in the contest, finishing at the .200 mark or better for the fourth time this season.  Evansville was 3-0 in the previous matches hitting .200 or better.
 
Freshman Cathy Schreiber has hit a team-best .312 this season, notching 107 kills in 239 attempts with 35 errors.  She ranks ninth in the conference and is the no. 2 freshman in the league.
 
Over the course of the season, the Aces have recorded an impressive 46 solo blocks.  That is 12 more than anyone else in the conference and is 27 more than its competition thus far.  Just as impressive is the fact that ten different players have posted a solo block.
 
The Braves come to Evansville with a 0-14 mark with four of those losses coming in league action.  One number stands out looking at the Braves and that is their hitting.  As a team, Bradley has allowed the opposition to hit .226 while the offense has hit .105 this season.
 
Leading the Braves offense is Taylor Thiele, who has notched 139 kills, an average of 2.57 per set.  Just behind her is Jamie Livaudais, who checks in with 104.
 
Loyola begins the weekend with a 5-8 mark, which includes a 1-3 MVC record.  In the opening weekend, the Ramblers topped Drake by a 3-2 final with their losses coming against UNI, Missouri State and Wichita State. 
 
With 205 kills, Morgan Reardon sits atop the conference.  Her total translates to an average of 4.10 per set.  Part of that success can be attributed to Caroline Holt, who leads the Valley with 10.63 assists per set.