CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Rachel Tam and Erlicia Griffith were named to the Redhawks Invitational All-Tournament Team as the University of Evansville volleyball team came up just short against host Southeast Missouri State, falling in five sets on Saturday afternoon.
Tam led the way for UE (5-1) with 17 kills while Mildrelis Rodriguez had 13 and Rocio Fortuny finished with 10. Cassie Brooks registered 19 digs while Rodriguez and Gabriela Dos Santos finished with 12 apiece. Allana McInnis led everyone with 46 assists. SEMO (4-2) saw Krissa Gearring notch 14 kills.
Box Score (PDF)
"It was one of those matches we wish as coaches that we could take back. We missed too many winning opportunities, and could not hold the opponent when needed. SEMO did a great job in their First Ball Sideout and capitalizing from our mistakes," head coach Manolo Concepcion said. "Overall, it was a good weekend for us, learning about our long term potential, and seeing the variety of lineups that we can use and still compete at a similar level. There is a lot of room to improve and we feel that with the kind of mindset that we are showing, our girls will continue to use Pre-Season to prepare appropriately for Conference play."
Evansville came out ready to roll in game one, taking the win with a 25-18 performance. The score was tied up at 16-16 before a Fortuny kill set UE on a game-ending 9-2 run. Fortuny had four kills in the set.
The Redhawks rebounded to take wins in the second and third sets. In game two, the Aces held a 12-11 lead before SEMO came back to take a 16-13 edge. Hanging onto a 23-22 lead, the Redhawks reeled off the final two points including a Mikayla Kuhlmann kill to earn a 25-22 win. They also rallied in the third frame. The Purple Aces opened up a 17-14 lead on another Fortuny point before the Redhawks clawed their way back to go up 22-21. Cathy Schreiber tied it up at 22-all with a kill but SEMO scored three in a row to earn another 25-22 triumph.
After dropping a pair of close sets, UE hung on for a 25-22 win in the fourth game, but it did not come easy. Evansville looked to be on its way to an easy win, up 23-15 on a Schreiber kill, but a 6-0 stretch got the Redhawks right back in the game. Rachel Tam ended the stretch with a kill and, two points later, Dos Santos ended the set with a service ace.
SEMO was able to close it out in the fifth set, clinching the match with a 15-11 win.
On Friday, the Aces open up their home slate at Meeks Family Fieldhouse with the Dunn Hospitality Invitational. UE will take on Indiana University on Friday evening at 7 p.m. UAB and UT Martin will also be playing in the tournament on Friday and Saturday.
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