Raven Volleyball opened the conference portion of their season with a win on Tuesday.

The Ravens knocked off Evangel University 3-1 at home in Ralph Nolan Gym.

The Ravens jumped all over Evangel in the opening set, eventually winning 25-16. Regan Bruggerman had 5 kills in the first set, while Maura Lickteig had 2 kills and 3 blocks.

Bruggeman picked up another 6 kills in the second set as the Ravens took a 2-0 match lead. The set started tight, but the Ravens started to distance themselves from Evangel about mid-way through the second set. The home side turned a 10-8 lead into 25-10 set win. Lickteig added 3 kills and another block in the second set. Kristijana Istuk had 15 digs through the first two sets.

Through two sets, the Ravens had a .293 attack percentage while EU managed just a .165 percentage on their attack.

Evangel came out strong in the third set, storming to an 8-2 lead. The Ravens slowly climbed back into the set but were forced to call timeout down 15-9. Following the timeout, the Ravens went on a 6-2 run to get within 2 points and eventually tied the set at 21-21 and took their first lead at 22-21 with a Katelyn Malick ace. Katarina Vojvodic had back-to-back kills to give the Ravens a 24-23 lead, putting them on the brink of a three-set sweep, but Evangel answered with 3 consecutive points to earn a 26-24 set win.

The Ravens made sure the fourth set was the final set, winning 25-19 to take the match, 3-1. After notching a .160 attack percentage in the third set, the Ravens attack rebounded with a .310 attack percentage in the fourth set.

Evangel jumped out to a 5-1 lead to open the set, but the Ravens quickly righted the ship and tied the score 8-8. After 3 Evangel points, the Ravens regrouped during a timeout and went on an 11-4 run to take a 19-15 lead. Lickteig put the finishing touches on the match, picking up the final 2 kills for the Ravens as they earned a conference-opening win.

Bruggeman finished with 22 kills, a season-high for the freshman, while also notching 14 digs. Vojvodic had 12 kills, Mahala Sewell had 9, Maggie Schoening recorded 8 and Lickteig finished with 7 kills. Malick had 47 assists to go along with 15 digs and 5 kills from the setter position. Lickteig had 2 solo blocks and assisted on 5 other blocks. The team finished the match with a .259 attack percentage.

The Ravens (6-5, 1-0 Heart) will play at Missouri Valley College on Friday, Sept. 17.