CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Facing one of the best teams the Missouri Valley Conference has to offer, the University of Evansville volleyball team dropped a hard-fought 3-1 match at UNI on Friday evening inside the McLeod Center.
 
Melanie Feliciano had another excellent outing, posting 22 kills for the Purple Aces (9-3, 0-1 MVC) while this week's MVC Player of the Week Rachel Tam was just behind with 20.  Alondra Vazquez had a strong evening with 12.  Gabriela Macedo recorded 34 digs while Vazquez and Feliciano had 21 and 14, respectively.  Allana McInnis tallied 48 assists while Cecilia Thon added a pair of service aces.

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Box Score (PDF)

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UNI (7-8, 1-0 MVC) saw Karlie Taylor finish with 22 kills while Kate Busswitz added 12.
 
"We played a very good match overall.  If we close the third set, it may have been a different result," UE coach Fernando Morales explained after the match.  "Like I told the ladies – if we play like this every match, we are going to have a chance to win every night."
 
The Panthers took an early 1-0 lead in the match.  Holding an 8-6 lead, the Panthers scored six in a row and finished with a 25-17 victory to begin the night.
 
Evansville fought back in a big way in an epic second set.  The Panthers jumped out to a 4-1 lead before the Aces roared back with a 4-1 rally of their own to tie it up at 5-5.  A UNI error gave the Aces their first lead at 10-9.  Melanie Feliciano registered a pair of kills midway through the game as the Aces extended their lead to 16-13. 
 
Later in the set, the Aces looked to be in total control, holding a 24-22 edge.  The Panthers fought back with three in a row to go up 25-24 and found themselves just one point away from taking a 2-0 lead.  UNI had another chance at set point before the Aces went back up by a 27-26 score thanks to a Vazquez kill.  UE never let the Panthers lead again and were able to post two in a row on kills by Tam and Feliciano to earn a 32-30 win and tie the match up at 1-1.
 
It was the Aces who had the early momentum in game three with a pair of Tam kills helping the Aces jump out to a 4-1 lead.  The Panthers made a run of their own, outscoring UE by a 9-2 margin on their way to a 10-6 lead.  Evansville started to make its way back and was able to jump back out in front when Cecilia Thon had a pair of service aces in a 5-0 UE spurt. 
 
UNI was able to retake a 20-18 lead before UE turned the tables once again.  A 6-2 run saw Evansville on the brink of another set win, but the Panthers were able to post the next four tallies and take a 2-1 lead in the match.  The Aces had a nice start to the fourth frame, opening up an 8-7 lead on a Vazquez kill.  Six points in a row by Northern Iowa gave them a 13-8 advantage and they were able to clinch the match with a 25-17 decision.
 
Tomorrow, the Aces look to get back on the winning track with a 5 p.m. contest at Drake.
 

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