EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Giulia Cardona posted 19 kills and Emilee Scheumann added 11 to pace the University of Evansville volleyball team to a 3-1 win over USI in Tuesday's home opener inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.

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Box Score

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Cardona recorded a match-high 19 kills along with 14 digs and three aces.  Scheumann hit a solid .421 in the effort that saw her fall just one kill shy of her career mark.  Melanie Feliciano added 9 kills and 17 digs.  Kora Ruff paced all players with 42 assists while Ainoah Cruz posted a match-best 20 digs.  USI was led by Abby Bednar, who tallied 15 kills.
 
Game 1 – UE 25, USI 22
 
Evansville broke a 4-4 tie and never looked back, opening the night with a 25-22 win.  USI did not make it easy as a late rally made things interesting.  Back-to-back service aces by Giulia Cardona put the Aces up 7-4 and consecutive kills from the junior made it a 14-8 UE lead. 
 
Continuing to add to the lead, Madisyn Steele and Luana Gazda Kuhn registered kills that had the Aces in front by a 21-13 margin.  The Screaming Eagles stormed back with a 9-3 run to cut the deficit to 24-22.  Seeing the large advantage cut to just two, it was Brooke Springer who came through with the clinching point.
 
Game 2 – UE 25, USI 19
 
Gazda Kuhn posted a kill that broke a 2-2 tie and started the Aces on a 4-0 run in the early moments of the second game.  Kills from Feliciano and Springer saw Evansville extend its lead to nine tallies – 14-5.  Things continued to go the Aces was when Kora Ruff picked up a pair of aces to push the lead to a game-high 10 points at 19-9. 
 
Once again, the Screaming Eagles made a late rally.  USI cut the deficit to five points at 24-19 but Evansville held strong with Feliciano earning the final kill to clinch the set by a 25-19 final.
 
Game 3 – USI 25, UE 23
 
USI broke the third set open with a 13-5 run.  It was the largest lead of the night for the Screaming Eagles.  Following a time out, Evansville worked its way back.  Two aces from Ainoah Cruz capped off a 6-0 run to make it a 2-point game.  An error by USI got the Aces even closer at 14-13. 
 
With their lead down to just a point, USI pushed its lead back out to five tallies (19-14).  Just as they did earlier in the frame, the Aces rallied back as a 5-0 run tied things up at 19-19.  Emilee Scheumann had two kills in the stretch.  With the set tied at 20-20, the Screaming Eagles scored two in a row and would hang on for the 25-23 decision.
 
Game 4 – UE 25, USI 23
 
It was Emilee Scheumann taking control in the third set, recording four consecutive kills that turned a 2-2 tie into a 6-2 UE advantage.  USI got as close as two points (10-8) before UE took a 14-8 lead on a Feliciano/Springer block.  The next stretch belonged to the Screaming Eagles as they cut the UE lead back to a pair at 15-13. 
 
USI continued to battle to the finish as a kill by Abby Bednar put the Screaming Eagles in front for the first time since holding a 2-1 lead in the set.  That is when Giulia Cardona took over.  A kill and ace put UE back in front but once again, USI rallied once again to tie it up at 23-23.  It was Melanie Feliciano's turn to take control as consecutive kills put the finishing touches on the match and a 3-1 win.
 
This weekend, UE is in Birmingham, Alabama to face Samford and North Alabama.