EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Finishing with a total of 31 kills, Alondra Vazquez lifted the University of Evansville volleyball team to a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Missouri State on Saturday night inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Box Score
Hitting .350, Vazquez tallied the highest number of kills this season for a Missouri Valley Conference player and was just one off her career high of 32. Giulia Cardona added 16 kills while Madisyn Steele finished the night with nine. Blakeley Freeman, Kora Ruff and Cardona paced UE with 11 digs while Ruff reset her career mark with 58 assists. Hannah Watkins had a strong evening, accounting for two solo blocks, six block assists and four kills. Emilee Scheumann recorded seven kills.
Set 1 – UE 25, MSU 17
Evansville opened the night scoring six of the first seven points. Alondra Vazquez recorded an early kill. Emily Scheumann contributed a kill before Laura Ruiz added an ace that made it an 8-2 game. Hannah Watkins and Vazquez added tallies to make the advantage even more at 16-7.
Trailing by their largest margin, the Bears cut into the deficit with four in a row before Giulia Cardona ended the stretch with a kill that made it a 17-11 game. Down the stretch, Ruiz registered two more aces and helped UE take the set by a score of 25-17.
Set 2 – MSU 25, UE 21
It was Missouri State's turn to grab the early momentum as they scored the first three to open game two. Watkins contributed a kill and block assist to help UE tie it right up at 3-3. Multiple ties ensued, but UE was unable to take the advantage. The Bears pulled away to a 12-8 lead prior to Kora Ruff registering consecutive aces to tie it once again at 12-12.
Despite the rally, Missouri State fought back to wrestle away a 20-15 lead. Evansville was able to get within a pair before MSU prevailed by a 25-21 score.
Set 3 – MSU 25, UE 21
Using the momentum from their win in the second frame, Missouri State grabbed a 4-0 lead in the third. An ace from Kora Ruff tied it for the first time at 5-5 before Ruiz added another to her tally to tie things back up at 12-12. Countering with a 5-1 rally, the Bears retook a 17-13 edge and pulled away to earn the 25-21 decision.
Set 4 – UE 27, MSU 25
Alondra Vazquez took matters into her own hands to open the fourth set. With the Aces trailing 2-1, Vazquez recorded four consecutive kills to put UE in front. Evansville's first six points in the set were kills by the fifth-year player. The early success in the set continued with UE going up 10-5.
The Bears chipped away at the deficit and eventually tied the set at 17-17. Following a time out, Cardona put the lead back in the hands of the Aces as they posted three in a row. Just when it looked like the Aces would force a fifth set, the Bears stormed back to take a 23-22 lead. UE did not give up as a Cardona kill gave her team a 26-25 lead before Madisyn Steele had the clincher to force a fifth set.
Set 5 – UE 17, MSU 15
Just as she did in the fourth set, Vazquez had the hot hand to open the fifth, notching two more kills to give the Aces a 4-1 lead. A quick stretch by the Bears put them in front for the first time at 5-4 before the 27
th and 28
th kills of the match by Vazquez gave Evansville the nod.
Three in a row by MSU solidified an 8-6 lead, but UE gave it another run. Maddie Hawkins picked up an ace that knotted the score at 11-11. The Bears would retake the lead and have match point at 14-12 before UE got life once again from Vazquez. Two more kills tied it up and it was Giulia Cardona putting the final touch on the match. Back-to-back kills clinched the match by a 17-15 final.
Monday evening will see the Aces travel to Indiana State for a 5 p.m. CT contest.
