MARTIN, Tenn. – The win streak for the University of Evansville volleyball team has reached seven matches as the Purple Aces earned a pair of victories on Friday with wins over UT Martin and Little Rock in the opening day of the Skyhawk Invitational.
Evansville (8-2) opened the day with a 3-1 win over host UT Martin before completing the day with an impressive 3-0 sweep over Little Rock. The Aces have now won seven matches in a row, their longest streak since 2010 when they won nine in a row. The start for the team is the best since 2011 when the Aces posted a 9-2 mark in their first 11 contests.
UT Martin Box Score (PDF) - Little Rock Box Score (PDF)
"It is a good sign that we are getting wins with different players leading us," UE coach Fernando Morales said. "We have had three different hitters lead us in kills and three different players lead us in digs. Our whole team is locked in and ready to contribute."
UT Martin Recap
For the third time in as many matches, the Purple Aces etched their way into the record books. Rachel Tam had another excellent outing, posting 35 kills in 70 attempts while hitting .343. Her total is the most in a 4-set match in Evansville history. It is also the third-highest total in the Aces record books. It marks the third match in a row that a UE player surpassed the previous program mark entering the 2019 campaign.
Alondra Vazquez added 11 kills and 13 digs while Allana McInnis posted 46 assists and 22 digs. Her did total was the most in her career, passing her previous high of 19. Melanie Feliciano added 16 digs while Gabriela Macedo notched 15. Macedo and Laura Ruiz recorded three service aces apiece.
Things were close in the early moments of game one, leading to a 6-6 score. Up 9-8, the Aces scored three in a row and put it in cruise control from that point. Hannah Watkins had a kill that gave Evansville a 15-10 lead. After the Skyhawks scored a pair, the Aces finished the set on a 10-3 stretch to take the first set by a 25-15 score. The final kill of the set came from Feliciano.
In the opening moments of the second frame, UT Martin grabbed a 7-5 lead before a pair of Tam kills tied the score at 8-8. A Laura Ruiz ace saw Evansville wrestle away an 11-10 lead, but the team could not push that advantage past two points. That changed a few points later. After a UE error saw UTM tied it at 15-15, Evansville made its decisive run, scoring five in a row. Vazquez started the rally with two kills. The Aces hung on from there to take a 2-0 match lead thanks to the 25-20 decision.
UT Martin took an 8-4 lead in the third set before the Aces made their rally. Trailing 13-10, a pair of Tam kills saw UE score four in a row to take a 14-13 lead, its first advantage of the frame. The Skyhawks fought back to tie it up at 15-15 before completing the period on a 10-4 run to earn their first set win by a final of 25-19.
Looking for their sixth win in a row, the Aces wasted little time in game four, opening up a 7-2 lead. Vazquez capped off the early rally with two more kills. UT Martin came right back with a 6-1 run that knotted the score at 8-8. The Skyhawks forced three more ties, but could not move ahead of the Aces on the scoreboard. Evansville took advantage, posting three in a row following an 11-11 score before taking the match with a 25-20 win.
Little Rock Recap
UE's second win of the day saw the offense spread around with Tam posting 13 kills and Feliciano and Vazquez finishing with ten apiece. Macedo recorded 14 digs with Vazquez and Feliciano finishing with double-doubles, posting 12 each. McInnis added 32 assists and a team-best five block assists. Freshman Kate Tsironis had four blocks of her own.
The second match of the day saw UE grab another 1-0 lead in the match. A Rachel Tam kill saw UE open up with a 4-1 lead before the Trojans made their way back to go up by a 7-6 score. Both teams continued to battle, leading to a 14-14 score. That is when a Little Rock error helped the Aces score three in a row. Kate Tsironis had a kill in what was a 3-0 stretch. Evansville never let them get any closer as they extended their lead for a 25-20 win.
Game two saw the Aces pull away halfway through. With the scored tied at 8-8, Evansville went on an 11-3 run to jump out to a 19-11 advantage. Feliciano had a pair of service aces in the run while Vazquez wrapped up the rally with a kill. UE remained on top by a 23-14 score when the Trojans made a bid for a comeback. They reeled off seven points in a row to make it a 23-21 game, but a timely time out by Coach Morales saw his squad respond with the final two tallies in a 25-21 decision.
Little Rock battled the Aces once again in the third, overcoming a 14-10 deficit to tie it up at 14-14. The decisive moment came when UE overcame the 4-0 Trojan run with an 8-0 streak. Vazquez posted four-consecutive kills in the rally that pushed the Aces to a 25-19 victory and a 3-0 sweep.
Tomorrow, UE will complete the Skyhawk Invitational with an 11 a.m. matchup against Mercer.
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