Box Score (PDF)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Mildrelis Rodriguez, Rocio Fortuny and Rachel Tam each had the top offensive nights of their careers as the University of Evansville volleyball team rallied to take a 3-2 win over Bradley on Friday night at the Carson Center.
 
Rodriguez notched 23 kills in 61 attempts and also led all players with 19 digs for UE (5-20, 1-11 MVC).  Fortuny and Tam each set their marks with 19 kills apiece.  Cathy Schreiber notched 8 while Erlicia Griffith had 7.  Griffith also had six block assists.  Jelena Merseli had the offense rolling as she notched her top mark of 62 assists.  Bradley (7-16, 2-10 MVC) was led by 17 kills from Erica Haslag.
 
Bradley got off to a 5-2 start in the first game, but a Mildrelis Rodriguez kill got the Aces within one at 8-7.  Evansville got within one on a few occasions before a Rachel Tam service ace tied it up at 11-11.  The Braves responded with three in a row before extending the advantage to take a 25-19 win.  Rodriguez had a solid set, posting six kills.
 
Rocio Fortuny registered a pair of early kills to give UE a 3-0 lead in the second game before a Cathy Schreiber kill gave the Aces a 5-1 advantage.  Evansville continued to add to the lead, going up 14-6 as Erlicia Griffith notched a kill.  The Braves cut the gap to four at 16-12 but the Aces roared back to tie the set at 1-1 with a 25-17 win.  Fortuny recorded five kills in the set.
 
In the third set, Evansville was the first team to take a lead of more than one as they went up 8-6.  Bradley fought back as they took the lead at 12-11 but a Schreiber kill put the Aces back in front at 15-13.  The Braves fought back once again, taking a 22-19 lead before UE came back once again as a Fortuny block tied it all up at 22-22.  Bradley was able to overcome the rally and win by a score of 25-23.
 
A 3-0 start to game four saw the Braves take the early advantage.  They held that lead until three kills in a row from Rodriguez put the Aces on top, 13-11.  The teams switched the lead, but the Aces were able to wrestle away a 22-19 lead.  Just when it looked like UE was in control, the Braves came back with four points in a row to go up 23-22.  Just as fast as they lost the lead, Evansville got it right back as another Fortuny kill put UE back on top at 24-23.
 
Game five saw the first four points tied up before UE took a 6-4 lead thanks to a Rachel Tam kill.  Tam struck again to put UE up three at 8-5.  The Braves overcame the furious charge and rallied with three in a row before Tam's third kill of the frame saw UE retake the lead and finish off with the 15-13 win.
 
Tomorrow night, the Aces are right back on the floor, taking on Loyola at 7 p.m. inside the Carson Center.
 

• INFO: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville volleyball, log on to the sport page on GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics_VB.

 

• DONATE: For information on giving to UE Athletics or its individual athletics programs, visit the DONATE tab on the top of GoPurpleAces.com.

 

• TICKETS: To purchase tickets for University of Evansville athletics events, log on to GoPurpleAces.com and click on the TICKETS tab on top of the page.