University of Evansville Athletics

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Freshmen Wren Jones and Lyla Fisher paced the offense for the University of Evansville volleyball team as the Purple Aces battled UNI down to the wire in a 3-1 loss on Saturday inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
 
Jones led the Purple Aces with 13 kills while Fisher had 11. Savannah Gogel and Brooke Herdes had nine kills apiece. Kendall Agler tallied 14 digs while Carsyn Kelley had 38 assists. Lily Dykstra recorded a match-best 20 kills for UNI.
 
Set 1 – UNI 25, UE 23
With the score tied at 2-2, Northern Iowa scored the next three to jump in front. Their lead reached four points at 9-5 before the Aces came back. Two Wren Jones kills got things going before Lyla Fisher tied the set at 11-11 with a kill. Jones' 4^th kill of the evening tied things back up at 15-15 before UNI made a run. Four in a row gave the Panthers a 19-15 advantage, however Brooke Herdes helped UE come right back. Consecutive service aces trimmed the deficit down to one at 19-18.
 
After Northern Iowa regained a 24-21 edge, Evansville fought back once again. Kills from Jones and Herdes helped the Aces get back within one at 24-23 before UNI scored the final point to take the set.
 
Set 2 – UNI 25, UE 17
After UNI scored the opening two points, the Aces came back to tie the score on a solo block from Savannah Gogel. The Panthers regained the lead before an ace by McKenzie Laubach tied the score at 6-6 and another solo block by Gogel gave UE an 8-7 lead. With the score tied at 9-9, UNI scored three in a row before opening a 17-10 lead and would win the set by a 25-17 final.
 
Set 3 – UE 25, UNI 16
Aubry Dowling picked up a kill to put Evansville up 3-1 while Herdes added another kill to make it an 8-4 game. The Panthers got back within one at 10-9 before Evansville took control. A 10-1 run set the Aces up with a 20-10 lead. Herdes had two more kills during the stretch while Dowling had an ace. Laubach's ace doubled the Panthers at 20-10. UE continued to hold a 10-point lead at 23-13 before the Panthers made a comeback attempt scoring three in a row. Evansville held strong to force a fourth set.
 
Set 4 – UNI 26, UE 24
A kill and solo block by Laubach put UE up 2-0 while a Jones kill made it a 6-4 game. UNI came back to tie it at 6-6 before going up 8-7. Multiple ties led to a 12-12 score when the Panthers made their move scoring four in a row to go in front 16-12. Trailing 19-15, the Aces stormed back with five in a row. Another Herdes kill cut the deficit to one before a pair of UNI errors gave Evansville a 20-19 lead.
 
Four in a row by the Panthers put them in position to clinch the match, but UE had other ideas. An ace by Laubach was followed by a Gogel kill that tied the score at 23-23. A UNI error put Evansville on top at 24-23. Following a UE error, the Panthers came back with a kill and block to finish off the match.