EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With the non-conference portion of the schedule complete the University of Evansville volleyball team opens its Missouri Valley Conference slate this weekend. UE welcomes Bradley to Meeks Family Fieldhouse on Friday before traveling to Southern Illinois on Saturday.
 

Weekend Schedule
UE vs. Bradley	Friday, September 26 | 6PM CST | Live Stats | ESPN+
UE at SIU	Saturday, September 27 | 5PM CST | Live Stats | ESPN+
UE Volleyball	Volleyball Home Page | Twitter | Match Notes

 
Recapping the Weekend
- Evansville dropped both ends of the home-and-home with USI in four sets
- Brooke Herdes paced UE with 16 kills in the home meeting while Hinsley Everett tallied 15 kills in the rematch across town
- Ainoah Cruz averaged 6.25 digs per set in the two matches
 
Top 15
- Ainoah Cruz averaged 6.25 digs in the series against USI to raise her season average to 5.08 per set
- Her average ranks second in the MVC and 13th in the nation
- Cruz eclipsed the 1,000-dig mark earlier this season against UAB and is on the cusp of moving into the top 10 in program history
- Her top performance of the season came against PFW where she recorded 31 digs
- Cruz had 29 in the road match at USI
 
Youth Movement
- Three freshmen lead the UE offense entering the MVC portion of the schedule
- Hinsley Everett paces the team with 2.53 kills per set while Brooke Herdes and Ryan Scheu hold marks of 2.41 and 2.25 kills/set, respectively
- Everett had a team-high 17 kills in the road match at USI while Herdes led the team with 16 kills in the home meeting
- Both had career-highs of 17 kills this season; Everett did so against MTSU while Herdes had 17 versus PFW
 
Near the Top
- Averaging 7.52 assists per set, Kora Ruff is currently second in the MVC
- Her season-high of 44 assists came against PFW while she had 41 on two occasions
- Last time out, Ruff had 41 assists and a season-high 19 digs at USI
- Ruff is 21st in the MVC with her average of 2.57 digs per frame
 
Scouting the Opposition
- Friday's MVC opener will see the Aces take on Bradley
- The Braves enter Valley play with a 6-6 mark with recent wins coming against Central Michigan, Kansas City, and Austin Peay
- Tendai Titley leads the team with 2.70 kills per set
- SIU is 5-7 on the season following a 3-1 win over North Dakota State last weekend
- Annabelle Sulish is the top offensive force for the Salukis with 3.02 kills/set