• Boxscore
After losing an eight-point lead in the first set, it didn’t look like the night would end well for University of Evansville volleyball. However, the team battled all night, and the Aces (14-16, 7-11 MVC) ended their season with a win over Southern Illinois (18-11, 7-11 MVC) by a score of 3-2 (26-28, 25-12, 25-17, 22-25, 15-8).
“I’m thrilled that we ended the season on a positive note, especially after the past two disappointing weekends,” said Evansville head coach Mike Swan. “I thought our team stepped up offensively. Our digs definitely helped keep SIU out of sync.”
Seniors Ginta Gabruseva and Rachel Robinson ended their careers at UE on a high note, as Gabruseva posted 18 kills and 20 digs while Robinson posted 13 kills to hit .308 and six block assists.
“I thought our seniors finished their season great,” Swan said. “I’m glad that they both got to give good contributions, and I’m excited for them to go out on a positive note.”
Junior Julie Sylvester had another stellar night, as she set a school record and new career high in digs with 38. Junior Emily Wandersee put down 17 kills and hit a team-high .341 attack percentage. Sophomore Brooke Maher tabbed a double-double of 25 digs and 15 kills. Sophomore Ellen Sawin recorded 58 assists in the win.
The team also set a school record for most digs in a match with 121 digs. It beat the previous mark of 118 set against Butler in 2006.
Kills from Gabruseva, Wandersee and Maher helped UE to a 4-1 lead to open the match. A 5-0 run by SIU put the Salukis up 5-7. UE answered back with a 5-0 rally of its own to go up 14-9. With the Aces up 21-13, SIU was about to close in to 21-17. The Salukis then tied the set at 24, 25 and 26 before a kill and block from SIU gave them the set 28-26.
The Aces quickly got out to a 10-3 lead with back-to-back service aces from Sylvester and one from Gabruseva. UE continued the set with 3-0 spurts between SIU points. After hitting .424 compared to SIU’s .057, kills from Wandersee and Gabruseva finished the set 25-12 for the Aces.
The third set had the two teams trading points and leads until the Aces could pull out to a solid 11-8 advantage. SIU got back within one at 14-13, but a 3-0 run that started with a kill from Robinson lifted the Aces to a 25-17 win.
UE opened the fourth set with a 7-4 lead after back-to-back kills from freshman Jessica Knackmuhs. However, the lead was short, as the Salukis tied it at 8 to take a 10-8 lead. After 11 tied scores, the Salukis had a late 3-0 run to seal their 25-22 win.
Starting the final set with a 3-0 lead, things looked good for the Aces. UE was able to capitalize on seven SIU attack errors to win the fifth outing 15-8.
