CARBONDALE, Ill. – Sophomore Rachel Tam had a career-high 27 kills as the University of Evansville volleyball team fell by a 3-2 final on Friday evening in Carbondale.
Tam recorded her top college total in 79 attempts, which was also the most in her time as a Purple Ace (6-9, 0-3 MVC). Cathy Schreiber had another great night, posting 17 kills while hitting .325. Allana McInnis finished with 47 assists and Cassie Brooks was great defensively, notching 28 digs.
Box Score (PDF)
Southern Illinois (4-11, 3-1 MVC) was led by Nellie Fredriksson, who had 14 kills. Ashley Edelen led everyone with 29 digs.
"We came into the game ready to battle against a tough opponent, and a tough crowd," Aces head coach Manolo Concepcion said. "The girls did an outstanding jon in the first two sets especially, playing with mindfulness and togetherness. But by the end of the match the Earned Point and Sideout battle went to them. Even with losing on those two significant stats, we won the 50/50 plays, were able to create a large amount of opportunities, and serve extremely tough. But it came down to the element of closing and embracing opportunities."
Evansville saw things go its way early on, posting victories in the opening two sets. Game one saw UE go up by a 10-8 score early on as Tam had one of her 27 kills. Southern Illinois took its turn, going up by two points on three occasions. The latest was at 21-19. Tam made sure that lead did not stand. Back-to-back service aces were part of a 3-0 run that gave the Aces the lead. From there, they were able to hang on for a 26-24 win.
Things were a little easier for the Aces in set two. After going up 4-1 on three Tam kills and a Schreiber service ace, UE extended its advantage to 12-8. The Salukis close the gap to just one at 21-20 on an Andrea Estrada kill, but it was Tam coming through in the clutch once again. Two more kills marked the final two tallies of the set, giving UE a 25-21 win and a 2-0 match lead.
With their backs against the wall, SIU roared its way to a 25-10 win in the third frame. They hit .538 in the set. Game four also went SIU's way. With the score knotted at 21-21, Southern Illinois received a pair of Patience Brown kills to score the final four tallies en route to a 25-21 win, forcing a fifth set.
The Salukis were in good shape to start, posting three of the first four points. Evansville refused to give up, forcing an SIU error to tie it up at 8-8. SIU was on the verge of clinching the match, taking a 14-11 lead, but the Aces continued to show their resilience. Behind a pair of Schreiber kills, UE tied it up at 14-14. Momentum went back to SIU as a pair of UE service errors helped them clinch the victory with a 17-15 win in the fifth set.
Tomorrow night, UE will look to pick up a road win at Missouri State. The Aces and Bears square off at 7 p.m. in Springfield, Mo.
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