Welcome back, Aces! Campus has been buzzing, and all sporting events are officially in full swing. Did you miss some of the action? No worries! This is where you can catch up on all things Aces sports. 

First, let’s start with Aces Volleyball. This fall marks Zach Wienberg’s first season as the head coach for the Purple Aces, where he will lead 11 returners and seven newcomers on the squad. They opened their season at Butler University in the Big Dawg Kickoff on August 29-30 and showed promise for an exciting year. They suffered two hard-fought losses to Butler and Middle Tennessee but finished their weekend strong with a five-set win against Purdue Fort Wayne, giving Weinberg and his squad their first win of the 2025 season. Players to watch include returning junior middle hitter Chloe Cline, who was the 2024 squad’s leading hitter and is a threat at the front of the net. Another returning standout is junior libero Ainoah Cruz, who represented the Aces in the U21 World Championships over the Summer alongside Purple Ace’s teammate Josdarilee Caraballo. The Aces also return senior setter Kora Ruff for her final season, where she has remained a constant on the court for the Purple Aces throughout her four years at UE. “It was a good opening weekend with lots of growth and learning moments that will help us the rest of the season,” Ruff stated.

The Purple Aces Cross Country team opened its season on August 29 at the Stegemoller Twilight, hosted by the University of Southern Indiana (USI). There was a women’s 4K and a men’s 6K, and the Purple Aces were able to place second as a team. Chase Hayes led the way for the women’s team and placed fourth overall with a time of 14:12.5. Freshman Kyleigh Wolf placed fifth with a time of 14:17.2 in her first collegiate race, while Avery Stephens also placed in the top ten with a time of 14:36.3. On the men’s side, Samuel Lee placed second overall with a time of 18:14.0. Freshman James Cruse was able to put together a solid performance with a time of 18:27.9 and finished eighth. The Purple Aces Cross Country team will be in Owensboro, Kentucky, Friday, September 5, at the Panther Prowl. 

The Purple Aces Women’s Soccer team has come out hot and continues to show promise for a good year. Before the Purple Aces opened their 2025 season, junior Taylor Johnson was named on the Preseason All-MVC First Team. The Purple Aces opened their season with a four-goal win over SEMO, and Johnson was named MVC Player of the Week for her efforts. The team then hit the road again and for Lindenwood, where they fell short late in the game, taking their only loss on the season thus far. The Purple Aces welcomed the Purdue Boilermakers for the home opener on August 27 at Arad McCutchan Stadium, where they earned their first win against a power-4 opponent since 2008. The Purple Aces’ scorers were sophomore forward Taylor Wehrer and junior midfielder Ella Hamner. The team carried the big midweek win momentum into their matchup on August 31 against SIUE at Arad McCutchan Stadium, collecting another big win. An explosive first half resulted in three Purple Aces goals and gave them all the room to take the 3-0 win. The scorers were sophomore forward Taylor Wehrer, senior defender Kathryn Tyler, and freshman midfielder/defender Lily Kytasaari. After a week of wins, the Purple Aces had two players named to the MVC Weekly Honors: sophomore forward Taylor Wehrer earned MVC Player of the Week, and freshman goalkeeper Allie Lammers earned MVC Goalkeeper of the Week. The Purple Aces will be in action next against the Austin Peay Governors in a mid-week matchup in Clarksville where they look to extend their win streak to three. Senior defender Kathryn Tyler gave insight into the team camaraderie that has been helping fuel their early-season success: “We’ve all been so excited about this season. Our team chemistry has been the best it’s ever been, and we have a really good group of leaders to help carry us far this year.” 

Lastly, the Purple Aces Men’s Soccer team has kicked off its season and is in full swing as well. The Men’s Soccer team also had a player named to the Preseason All-MVC team in sophomore goalkeeper Michal Mroz. The Aces opened their season at home against the Bellarmine Knights and ended the match in a 1-1 draw. The Purple Aces’ lone scorer of the game was senior forward Tancredi Fadda on a penalty shot. The team hit the road for their next matchup against Mercer, which also ended in a 1-1 draw. The Purple Aces’ lone scorer in that matchup was freshman midfielder Devin Shepherd. After a couple of draw games, the Purple Aces headed to face a power-4 opponent and the 15th-ranked University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Aces put up a fight, with shots on goal by multiple players. Sophomore defender Martin Wurschmidt, senior defender Nacho Garcia, and junior forward Armon Haghighat, all gave it their best efforts with shots on goal but came up short with a 2-0 loss. The Purple Aces came back home for Alumni Weekend and hosted the Memphis Tigers, finishing with another hard-fought 1-1 draw. The Aces outshot the Tigers 24-7 but couldn’t get another one through for the lead. Sophomore defender Martin Wurschmidt was the Purple Aces’ lone scorer, but several other Aces contributed shots on goal. The Aces now look to find the win column in their upcoming match against Lindenwood at Arad McCutchan Stadium