After completing four weeks of non-conference action, a full slate of league play begins this weekend. Nine conference matches will be played this weekend as all 10 schools will kick off the 2019 MVC schedule.

Aces' Winning Streak
Evansville enters Missouri Valley Conference play on an eight-match win streak.  It is the program’s longest streak since a nine-game streak in 2010.  The Aces’ 9-2 start marks its best since 2011 when UE was also 9-2 through its first 11 matches of the year.

Record Setter
For the third time in as many matches, the Aces etched their way into the record books.  Rachel Tam had another excellent outing, posting 35 kills in 70 attempts while hitting .343.  Her total is the most in a 4-set match in Evansville history.  It is also the third-highest total in the Aces record books.  It marks the third match in a row that a UE player surpassed the previous program mark entering the 2019 campaign. Tam tallied 39 kills in UE’s 3-2 win over Tennessee Tech last Tuesday.  That tally puts her second all-time in Missouri Valley Conference, just one off the record of 40.
 
Individual Single-Match Kills (MVC History)
40      Bobbi Becker, UNI vs. Illinois State, 11/11/89
39    Rachel Tam, Evansville vs. Tennessee Tech, 9/17/19
36      Melanie Feliciano, Evansville vs. Eastern Illinois, 9/14/19
         Tracy Stroyan, Illinois State vs. Wisconsin, 10/2/85
          Michelle Witzke, Missouri State vs. Wichita State, 10/17/97
         Lindsay Stalzer, Bradley at DePaul, 9/27/05
35    Rachel Tam, Evansville vs. UT-Martin, 9/20/19

B1G Crosstown Win
Loyola opened the Chicago Cup at DePaul with a five-set win over Northwestern Friday afternoon. The win was the Ramblers’ third in a row overall and their first over the Wildcats since 2008. The Ramblers will face crosstown rivals UIC and DePaul Saturday.

Heating Up
After starting the season 0-8, Indiana State is on a two-game winning streak of which they have allowed no set wins by their opposition. The Sycamores defeated Western Illinois, 3-0, in the last game of the Wright State Invitational and then held off a third-set comeback by IUPUI to defeat the Jaguars on Tuesday.  

Going the Distance
Six of SIU’s last eight matches have gone to five sets, including a school-record streak of five-straight matches. The school record for most five-set matches in one season is 11, set during the 1982 season when Southern played 36 matches. The Salukis are 128-110 (.537) all-time in five set matches since 1976.  

Triple Doubles Galore
SIU’s Rachel Maguire notched her sixth and seventh triple-doubles of the season at the Golden Eagle Invitational. In doing so, she broke Meg Viggars school-record for triple-doubles in a single-season. Maguire’s seven triple-doubles are the most by a player in the Missouri Valley Conference since at least 2015 and Southern’s eight triple-doubles this season (Maguire- 7, Martin -1) are as many as the MVC had in the previous four seasons combined (2015-18). Maguire currently leads the nation in triple-doubles while Martin joins Maguire as one of 19 players nationally with at least one triple-double this season. As a program, SIU accounts for 15 of the 18 triples-doubles that have occurred by Valley schools since the 2015 season. 

Against the Field
The MVC holds a winning record against nine leagues in non-conference play (Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big West, MEAC, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Summit, Sun Belt & SWAC), and at least a .500 record against another five (Big Ten, Conference USA, Mountain West, Southern & WAC) through three weeks of the season.

This week's Missouri Valley Conference Players of the Week are Evansville's Rachel Tam, UNI's Abbi Staack and Loyola's Addie Barnes.

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Rachel Tam, Sr., OH, Evansville
In Evansville’s four matches last week, senior Rachel Tam recorded a total of 106 kills (6.63 per set) as the Aces went a perfect 4-0 and pushed their win streak to eight.  In Tuesday’s contest against Tennessee Tech, Tam broke the program record with 39 kills.  It marked the second-most in MVC history.  She started the Skyhawk Invitational picking up where she left off, registering 35 kills in 70 attempts versus UT Martin.  That was the highest total in program history in a four-set match.  Tam added 13 kills in a win over Little Rock before finishing with 19 against Mercer on her way to being named the Skyhawk Invitational MVP.   

Other Notable Performances: Rachel Pranger (BRAD); Emily Plock (DU); Kaylee Martin (ILS); Cassie Kawa (INS); Heather Kocken (LUC); Laynie Dake (MSU); Karlie Taylor (UNI); Rachel Maguire (SIU); Peyton McCarthy (VALPO)

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Abbi Staack, Sr., L/DS, UNI
UNI senior Abbi Staack finished the week with a team high 68 digs in 10 total sets (6.8 per set) while playing libero and defensive specialist for the Panthers. Staack set a career high with 34 digs in a 3-1 loss to #8 Marquette. That mark ranks second in UNI history among four set matches. The senior recorded 22 digs in a 3-0 sweep of Green Bay on Saturday morning before setting her career high 34 digs against Marquette on Saturday night.  She added a team-high 12 digs in a sweep of Saint Louis Friday. 

Other Notable Performances: Hannah Thompson (BRAD); Gillian Gergen (DU); Gabriela Macedo (UE); Kendal Meier (ILS); Melina Tedrow (INS); Maddy Moser (LUC); Azyah Green (MSU); Lindsey Paulsen (SIU)

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK:
Addie Barnes, Fr., OH, Loyola
Loyola freshman outside hitter Addie Barnes racked up 3.42 kills, 2.50 digs and 0.25 aces per set in three outings at the Chicago Cup last weekend. The rookie outside hitter recorded a pair of double-doubles over the weekend and tallied 10 or more kills in all three contests as Loyola went 2-1. In a five-set win over Northwestern, Loyola’s first decision over a Big Ten opponent since 2008, Barnes registered 15 kills, 12 digs and a pair of aces. She then was dominant in a victory at DePaul, collecting 15 kills, eight digs and a .333 attack percentage (15-3-36) before posting 11 kills and 10 digs against UIC. For the year, Barnes is recording 2.92 kills, 2.39 digs and 0.41 aces per set..

Other Notable Performances: Raeann Bergman (BRAD); Michele Rabbitt (DU): Melanie Feliciano (UE); Sarah Kushner (ILS); Chloe Mason (INS); Azyah Green (MSU); Emily Holterhaus (UNI); Abi Fitzpatrick (SIU)