By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Tech volleyball dropped a midweek heartbreaker as the Evansville Purple Aces took a five-set thriller against the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
After dropping the opening frame, the Golden Eagles bounced back to take two-straight sets and the match advantage. However, the Purple Aces took advantage in the fourth to tie things up before claiming the fifth set to win 3-2.
"There were so many good things to be proud of during our match against the Aces, especially with how much our girls fought," said head coach Jeannette Waldo. "We still have some things to clean up, but we made some great strides against a very offensive Evansville team."
Sophomore Ashley Hand had a night as she recorded a career-high 58 assists against the Purple Aces. Junior Ali Verzani and senior Rachel Thomas continued to lead the Golden Eagles up front as they each tallied 15 kills in the contest. Verzani also led the team in digs, tallying 15 against the Aces and followed closely by freshman Julia Wheeler with 13. Three Golden Eagles tallied a trio of blocks in the contest in sophomore Taylor Dorsey, Verzani, and Thomas.
The Golden Eagles opened the contest on a 5-1 run. The Purple Aces would then work their way to a 10-6 run of their own to close the gap and tie the match at 11. The Golden Eagles would battle the Aces through seven ties to a 24-24 stalemate and spoil an Aces' set-point. However, Evansville would secure a pair of kills and take the opening frame, 26-24.
The Golden Eagles and Aces opened the second frame to a 5-5 tie. The Golden Eagles would break away following an 8-3 run to take a five-point lead, 13-8. The Purple Aces would once again even things at 15, but a 10-6 run for the Golden Eagles would tie the match up at one set apiece, 25-21.
Tech would take the opening lead in the third, but the game was quickly brought back even by the Aces, 5-5. The two squads continued to battle back-and-forth through six more ties in route to a 22-22 set three. The Aces would take the 23-22 advantage, but a Dorsey kill would knot things up, before a pair of Verzani kills would seal the set and give Tech the 2-1 advantage, 25-23.
Unlike the previous three sets, the Purple Aces took the early lead in the fourth set on a 7-3 run. The Golden Eagles went on a 6-3 run to cut the deficit down to one, 10-9, but that was as close as they would get. Evansville would go on to outscore Tech 15-10 to even up the match at two, 25-19.
The final set would open to a 3-3 tie, but the Purple Aces would then score four-straight to take a 7-3 lead. The Golden Eagles would cut the deficit in half, 10-8, but Evansville would battle back with a 5-2 run to close out the match, 15-10.
"We are excited to return to the Hoop this weekend in front of our hometown crowd," expressed Waldo. "We hope family and friends come out to make it truly feel like home."
The Golden Eagles bring things back to the Hoop next weekend as they host the Golden Eagle Invitational with their home-opener against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at noon on Friday. Tech will return to the court Saturday as they take on the Southern Illinois Salukis at 10 a.m., before closing things out at 7:30 p.m. against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
