EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 2026 season is set to officially begin this weekend when the University of Evansville volleyball team travels to Louisville for the Bellarmine Classic.
 

Weekend Information
UE vs. Purdue Fort Wayne	Friday, August 28 | 3PM CST | Live Stats
UE vs. Rutgers	Saturday, August 29 | 12PM CST | Live Stats
UE at Bellarmine	Saturday, August 29 | 5PM CST | Live Stats | ESPN+
UE Volleyball	Volleyball Home Page | Twitter

 
Friday's opener will see the Purple Aces take on Purdue Fort Wayne at 3 p.m. CST before the tournament continues Saturday with matches against Rutgers (12 p.m. CST) and Bellarmine (5 p.m. CST).
 
Evansville features 11 returners from last season along with five newcomers. The squad is comprised of six seniors, a junior, five sophomores, and four freshmen. UE's returners formulate a solid core. Junior Sabrina Ripple led the team with 0.84 blocks per set last season and finished 15^th in the MVC in the statistic. She chipped in an average of 1.27 kills per set and earned a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team.
 
Ryan Scheu and Brooke Herdes had strong freshman campaigns in 2025. Scheu wrapped up the season second on the team with an average of 2.06 kills per set while posting a season-high of 15 against Middle Tennessee State. Herdes completed the season with an average of 1.77 kills and an identical 1.77 digs per frame. Her top kill tally of 18 came at Murray State while she posted 17 versus Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
Joining the team for 2026 are freshmen Carsyn Kelley, Wren Jones, Lyla Fisher, and Aubry Dowling along with sophomore transfer Savannah Gogel.