EVANSVILLE, Ind. – When Fernando Morales and his team set goals for the 2019 season, two things stood out - achieve a winning record and clinch a spot in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. Morales and his University of Evansville volleyball team accomplished both feats and travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa where they open the MVC Championship on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. against Illinois State.
MVC Championship History
- Evansville enters the tournament as the #6 seed and will take on the third-seeded Redbirds on Thursday
- The 2019 event is the fifth UE has qualified for and is the first since 2008
- In its prior appearances, the Purple Aces have gone 1-4
- Their win came in 2000 when the team defeated Creighton by a 3-1 final
Weekend Recap
- Regular season play came to an end last weekend with the Aces falling in road matches at Bradley and Illinois State
- In Friday's contest against the Braves, Rachel Tam had 10 kills while Gabriela Macedo added 18 digs in a 3-0 setback
- Macedo's effort officially gave her the new UE single season dig record
- Saturday's match-up in Normal saw Tam and Alondra Vazquez record 12 kills apiece in a 3-0 loss
Scholar-Athlete Honor
- For the second time in her career, Rachel Tam earned MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team honors on Tuesday; she is an Exercise Science major with a 3.