VALPARAISO, Ind. – Giulia Cardona had her top Missouri Valley Conference effort, picking up 16 kills on Saturday evening in a 3-1 loss to Valparaiso at the ARC.
 
Cardona led the way with her final tally while Alondra Vazquez had 14 and Melanie Feliciano added 12 for the Purple Aces (10-4, 0-3 MVC).  Cardona also paced the defense with 17 digs while Vazquez and Taya Haffner finished with 13 and 12, respectively.  Haffner recorded 45 assists.  Madisyn Steele had a strong performance on both ends of the floor with eight kills and four block assists.  Peyton McCarthy led Valpo (12-3, 3-1 MVC) with 18 kills.
 
Set 1 – Valpo 25, UE 21
Valparaiso opened the contest on a 10-6 run with Madisyn Steele keeping it close with a pair of early kills.  The Beacons continued to hold the advantage, extending the lead to 16-11 on a Bella Ravotto kill.  Evansville rallied back with three in a row, including another kill by Steele to get within a pair before Valpo countered to go up 19-15.  UE rallied once again, storming back with a 6-1 stretch to take a 21-20 lead.  Steele's fourth kill of the frame tied it at 20-20 before Alondra Vazquez put the Aces in front.  The difference came in the ensuing stretch with the Beacons forcing a pair of errors before Kara Cooper capped off a 5-0 stretch to close out the set by a 25-21 final.
 
Set 2 – UE 25, Valpo 19
Another strong start by the Beacons saw them open the second game with an 11-6 advantage.  Just as they did in the first set, the Purple Aces rallied back.  Three in a row cut the deficit to a pair before an ace from Taya Haffner tied it up at 13-13.  With the score knotted at 15-15, Evansville score six of the next seven to pull away.  Steele added a kill and block in the stretch while Melanie Feliciano recorded a kill.  Vazquez put the finishing touches on the frame with a pair of kills to wrap up the 25-19 win and tie the match at 1-1.
 
Set 3 – Valpo 25, UE 23
Looking to build off the momentum from its win in the second frame, Evansville jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the third.  Once again, it was Steele playing a big part, picking up a kill and block.  Valpo stormed back with five in a row to tie it up before the Aces countered with three of their own.  Another Haffner service ace contributed to the rally.  The Beacons did not relent and clawed back to tie it at 19-19.  Four ties led to a 23-23 score before Valpo forced a pair of UE errors to finish with a 25-23 victory to retake a 2-1 lead.
 
Set 4 – Valpo 25, UE 23
Valparaiso held the advantage through the opening portions of the fourth set, leading to a 14-9 score.  A 6-2 stretch got the Aces right back into it, making it a 16-15 VU lead.  Vazquez added an ace while Feliciano and Giulia Cardona picked up kills.  Evansville was not done there.  Laura Ruiz recorded an ace that put UE on top by a 21-19 tally.  Up 23-22, UE appeared to have score a point that would have given them a 2-point edge, but the call was overturned and the Beacons took full advantage.  Following that play, Valpo picked up the final two points to clinch the match.
 
UE is back inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse for its next three contests, beginning next weekend with Bradley and Illinois State.
 

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