University of Evansville Athletics

DES MOINES, Iowa – Lyla Fisher set her career-high with 21 kills as the University of Evansville volleyball team fell just short in a 5-set loss at Drake on Saturday evening.
 
Fisher hit a stellar .528 while racking up her 21 kills. It passed her previous high of 18 kills, which came at UIC earlier in the month. Wren Jones picked up 13 kills while Ryan Scheu had 11. Carsyn Kelley had a career-best 50 assists to go along with 11 digs. Brooke Herdes led the way with 17 digs while Savannah Gogel posted 8 kills and 5 blocks. Shay McMillen paced the Bulldogs with 22 kills.
 
Set 1 – UE 25, Drake 16
Carsyn Kelly picked up an early kill as the Purple Aces jumped out to a 3-1 lead. The teams swapped the lead over the next stretch with the Bulldogs taking an 8-6 edge. Kendall Agler picked up an ace and Wren Jones had a kill as UE scored four in a row to regain a 10-8 advantage.
 
Lexi Owen recorded an ace to push the lead to 14-10, and the Aces would continue to add to it. Up 20-17, Evansville scored the final five tallies to clinch the set. Savannah Gogel had a block and kill during the final stretch.
 
Set 2 – Drake 25, UE 14
Another nice start by the Aces set them up with a 3-1 lead. Drake quickly tied the score at 3-3 before taking a 10-7 lead. Three in a row by UE knotted the score once against with Fisher registering a kill and Ryan Scheu and McKenzie Laubach combining for a block. With things still tied at 10, the Bulldogs made their move. A 6-1 stretch gave them a 16-11 lead, and the rally continued as they tied the match with a 25-14 decision.
 
Set 3 – Drake 25, UE 20
Wren Jones opened the set with a kill helping Evansville go up 2-0, but the Bulldogs countered with four in a row. They doubled up the Aces at 10-5 before UE fought back to get within two on kills by Fisher and Laubach. Drake answered once again, taking their largest lead at 17-11. Just when it looked like they were primed to pull away for the win, the Aces stormed back. Two Scheu kills made it a 20-19 game, however, DU had one final answer as they posted the final four tallies to take the set.
 
Set 4 – UE 25, Drake 23
Looking for send the match to a fifth set, the Purple Aces jumped out to a 4-0 advantage with Fisher taking control. Following three kills in the opening stretch, Fisher had six kills to lead her squad to an 8-3 lead. The Bulldogs came back with seven in a row to take their first lead of the frame at 10-8.
 
In a back-and-forth set, the Aces regained a 15-11 lead with Scheu picking up two more kills. UE continued to hold the advantage and had set point up 24-21. The Bulldogs made it interesting picking up two tallies, but it was Fisher providing the clinching kill to send it to a decisive set.
 
Set 5 – Drake 15, UE 9
Fisher, Scheu, and Jones had early kills leading to a 4-4 tie before Drake took control. They scored the next seven points and finished the match with a 15-9 win.