EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With its first four matches taking place away from home, the University of Evansville volleyball team opens its 2019 home schedule with the Dunn Hospitality Tournament. UE opens play at 6 p.m. Friday against Purdue Fort Wayne before taking on Middle Tennessee State and Eastern Illinois on Saturday.
Weekend Recap
- The season opened for the Aces over the weekend in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
- Evansville dropped a hard-fought 3-2 match against Western Illinois in the opener before bouncing back with a 3-0 win over Jackson State
- Saturday's finale saw the Aces challenge in each set before Southeast Missouri State finished with a 3-0 win
- Melanie Feliciano earned All-Tournament honors averaging 3.64 kills and 3.27 digs per set
- The Aces continued play on Tuesday, earning a 3-0 win at Tennessee State; it marked the first non-conference road sweep since UE did so against NC Central in 2013
Dunn Hospitality Tournament
- This season marks the ninth Dunn Hospitality Tournament; it has been held annually since 2010 with the exception of 2012. - Last year, UE fell in contests against Austin Peay and Northern Kentucky; overall, the Aces are 13-10 in the event and went a perfect 3-0 in the first tournament in 2010
Freshman of the Week
- In her first weekend of collegiate action, freshman Melanie Feliciano led the Aces with 3.64 kills per set while garnering a spot on the Redhawks Invitational All-Tournament Team along with MVC Freshman of the Week honors
- Feliciano began her career with a 19-kill, 14-dig performance against Western Illinois; she hit .333 and finished with two block assists
- She continued her success against the Tigers adding 15 kills and stands second in the MVC with 3.93 per game; that average is one of the top 15 tallies in the nation among freshmen
Senior Success
- Patricia Joseph is off to a nice start in the first week of her senior campaign
- Limited to 36 sets last season, Joseph has played in all 14 frames this year, averaging 1.79 kills per set
- She set her career mark with 9 kills in 19 tries against Western Illinois
Scouting the Opposition
- Purdue Fort Wayne has a 2-5 mark entering the Dunn Hospitality Tournament
- The Mastodons are led on the offensive side by Katie Crowe's 2.74 kills per set while Rachel Cruis anchors the defense to the tune of 4.36 digs per frame
- Their wins have come over South Alabama and UC Riverside
- Middle Tennessee State will mark the first opponent of the day on Saturday; the Blue Raiders come to Meeks Family Fieldhouse with an 0-6 mark
- Urte Neimantaite and Emma Grever lead MTSU with 3.29 and 3.11 kills per game, respectively
- Sarah Sumida checks in with 10.83 assists per game while Taylor Hammill is averaging 8.94
- The weekend finale pits the Purple Aces against Eastern Illinois, who starts the weekend with an 0-6 record
- EIU is paced on the offensive side by Ireland Hieb, who has 2.71 kills/set; Katie Sommer is just behind her with 2.39
- Bailey Chandler sits at 8.45 assists per set and has a team-best eight service aces
- On the defensive side, Madison Cunningham has a team-high 3.91 digs/frame
Full Tournament Schedule
Friday, Sept. 13
- Middle Tennessee State vs. Eastern Illinois - 3:30 p.m.
- Evansville vs. Purdue Fort Wayne - 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14
- Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Eastern Illinois - 10 a.m.
- Evansville vs. Middle Tennessee State - 12:30 p.m.
- Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Middle Tennessee State - 3:30 p.m.
- Evansville vs. Eastern Illinois - 6 p.m.
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