FRIDAY’S SCORES
@Eastern Kentucky 3, UT Martin 0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-10)
@Morehead State 3, Southeast Missouri 0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-18)
@Eastern Illinois 3, Murray State 0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-22)
Tennessee State 3, @Jacksonville State 1 (25-15, 17-25, 25-22, 25-20)
Belmont 3, @Tennessee Tech 2 (16-25, 25-14, 18-25, 25-19, 15-6)
Austin Peay 3, @SIUE 2 (18-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-13, 15-7)
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, UT MARTIN 0
RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky University volleyball team took down the Skyhawks of UT Martin in a dominant 3-0 match. Freshman, Rachel Vick started out strong and led the Colonel’s with a .533 attack percentage.
EKU won by scores of 25-20, 25-12 and 25-10. The Colonels now have a 6-13 season record and are 3-6 in the OVC.
Dena Ott had 22 digs and Ashley Edmond ended with 11 kills.
The Skyhawks fall to 8-15 on the season and 4-5 against conference teams. Emily Keaton led the way with seven kills and eight points while Amanda Crask dealt out 16 assists.
The Colonels went on an 8-0 run in the first set that changed a tie into a 13-5 lead. In the second set, a 9-3 run gave EKU a seven-point cushion. The third set brought a 10-2 run for Eastern Kentucky that turned a 4-3 game into 14-5 lead.
MOREHEAD STATE 3, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. --- Senior middle blocker Annie Gruenschlaeger had 12 kills and hit .435, junior outside hitter Aryn Bohannon added 12 kills and 14 digs and junior libero Leslie Schellhaas put up 22 digs as the Morehead State volleyball team swept visiting Southeast Missouri, 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-18), in front of a raucous gathering Friday at Wetherby Gym.
MSU won its 15th straight match to improve to 17-6 overall and 9-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference. SEMO suffered its first conference defeat and fell to 16-8 overall and 8-1 in the league.
Gruenschlaeger and Bohannon led all players in kills as the Eagles nearly doubled up the Redhawks in successful spikes, 54-28. MSU also won the battle of digs, 73-59. MSU hit .239 for the match and held the visitors to an .096 efficiency.
MSU got an 11-kill effort from senior right side hitter Ellie Roberson and 37 assists and nine digs from senior setter Caitlin Clark. Freshman outside attacker Courtney Smith contributed eight winners.
SEMO was paced by Colleen Yarber with 10 kills and 12 digs. Emily Coon had five blocks as the Redhawks out-blocked the Eagles 7-2.
The Eagles trailed thoughout a majority of the first two sets but used late rallies to pull out wins. The Redhawks held a 20-17 advantage in the first set, but Roberson spiked a winner to spark a 5-2 run and MSU pulled ahead 23-22. The teams traded blows until Bohannon smacked a kill for a 25-24 Eagle lead. SEMO committed an attack miscue to end the set.
SEMO pulled ahead 22-19 in the second frame, but the Eagles scored the final six to take the three-point victory. Sophomore middle blocker Laura McDermott and Bohannon nailed put-aways, and SEMO goofed on three attacks to surrender the lead.
MSU grabbed the momentum in the final set, racing out to a 13-6 lead. The Redhawks crept back to within 20-17 late, but Bohannon and McDermott each landed a pair of kills as the Eagles ended on a 5-1 run.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, MURRAY STATE 0
CHARLESTON, Ill - Eastern Illinois volleyball swept visiting Murray State (25-11, 25-19, 25-22) in Ohio Valley Conference west division action on Friday evening, as the Panthers hit a season-high .418 for the match.
The sweep, the first three-set win by the Panthers this season, helped EIU improve to 6-16 overall and 3-6 in league play. Eastern also earned the regular-season sweep of the Racers, who drop to 4-15/2-7.
Reynae Hutchinson nailed 13 kills off a season-best .379 attack, while the junior also registered a pair of aces as well.
Alison Berens chipped in 12 put-a-ways behind a blistering .647 attack. With just one hitting miscue, the senior tallied her best hitting mark of her career.
But those two weren't the only ones having a steller night hitting-wise as junior Stephanie Arnold finished with eight kills off a new season-high .467 clip, while freshmen Kayla Nesbitt and Abby Saalfrank hit .389 and .385 with nine and six kills of their own, respectively.
Newcomer Marah Bradbury dished out 43 assists, while defensively sophomore Kelsey Brooke led all players on the court with 18 digs, while Arnold once again made her presence known at the net versus the Racers with five stuffs. Last week in the four-set win at Murray State, Arnold drilled a career-high 11 blocks to earn OVC 'Defensive Player of the Week' kudos.
Meeting for the 38th time, the two squads finished the match with just eight ties and one lead change, as EIU opened the match on fire, hitting an amazing .704 in the first set with zero errors. In fact, the Racers twice called timeout in the frame and the first time EIU hit .800 (12-0-15), while dropping slight to .727 (16-0-22) in the final MSU break in the action. The Panthers would ride the hot attack for the easy 25-11 first set victory.
Eastern actually didn't register their first team hitting miscue until the 18-14 point of the second set, but by that time the Panthers would rally to earn the 25-19 second set win. EIU hit .483 in the frame with just two errors.
The visiting Racers would counter with an early lead to open the third set, eventually enjoying a 10-5 advantage at one point. But the Panthers would go on a 9-2 run to force the Racers to burn a timeout and from that point on EIU would never trail again en route to the 25-22 win.
Team-wise, the Panthers dominated the visitors in nearly every stat category, including kills (50-to-30), attack (.418-to-.167), assists (49-to-29), digs (50-to-31), blocks (six-to-three), and points (60.0-to-37.0). Both squads nailed four aces apiece, while MSU had one more service error.
TENNESSEE STATE 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Tennessee State avoided being swept on the season by the Jacksonville State volleyball team with a 3-1 (25-15, 17-25, 25-22, 25-20) victory over the Gamecocks Friday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
With the loss the Gamecocks fall to 5-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play and 11-12 overall. The Tigers improve to 6-3 in conference play and 12-10 overall to move into sole possession of second place in the East Division.
The Tigers got off to a fast start with a 7-0 run in the opening set and never looked back during the 25-15 victory. TSU limited JSU to a -.031 hitting percentage in the set.
The Gamecocks rebounded in the second set behind Emily Rutherford's four kills. JSU used seven total team blocks to limit the Tigers to a -.075 hitting percentage to pull out the 25-17 victory.
The two teams swapped points to start the third set before the Tigers pulled away with the match knotted at 14 apiece. Naomi Wells finished with five kills in the set to lead the Tigers to the 25-22 victory.
The fourth set opened with the two teams again swapping points before the Gamecocks pulled away for a 14-11 lead. The Tigers fought back behind a balanced offensive attack to outscore the Gamecocks 14-6 down the stretch for the 25-20 match clinching victory.
Rutherford led JSU with 11 kills while freshman Taylor Long added 10 kills on a .333 hitting percentage. Setter Alina Agamy finished with 31 assists and nine digs as the Gamecocks hit .144 for the match. Defensively, the Gamecocks were led by Kelsey Anderson with 21 digs and Abbey Heredia with 17 digs.
Naomi Wells and Rachel Ambroch both recorded double-doubles to lead the Tigers. Wells finished with 12 kills and 19 digs while Ambroch added 10 kills and 15 digs. Setter Erika Moss finished with 39 assists and eight digs.
BELMONT 3, TENNESSEE TECH 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont volleyball (9-14, 5-4) defeated Tennessee Tech (3-19, -0-9) in five sets Friday night on the road.
Tennessee Tech opened the first set by scoring five unanswered points, until junior Allison McCoy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) silenced their run. Both teams exchanged points with the Golden Eagles maintaining their lead.
McCoy sparked a short Belmont run, bringing the Bruins within four points; however, the Golden Eagles continued to extend their lead. Tennessee Tech went on a 4-0 run to close out the set, 25-16.
In the second set, the Golden Eagles got on the board first, before McCoy started a 6-0 run for the Bruins. An attack error by Tennessee Tech sparked another run by Belmont, scoring seven unanswered points and taking a nine point lead, 17-8.
Behind a kill from sophomore Scarlet Gable (Munford, Tenn.) Belmont took a 10-point lead over Tennessee Tech. Junior Jen Myer (New Braunfels, Texas) scored the match point before the Golden Eagles went on a 2-0 run. A kill from Gable ended the set, 25-14, tying the match at one set each.
After the break, the Golden Eagles jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. Both teams exchanged points, TTU took a 9-6 lead. A bad serve from the Golden Eagles sparked a run for the Bruins and behind two kills from McCoy Belmont tied the set and took a one-point lead, 10-9.
Tennessee Tech responded and went on to score six unanswered points before McCoy silenced their run. The Golden Eagles put together a short run, but a kill from redshirt freshman Madison Croft (Edwardsville, Ill.) ended their run, bringing Belmont within six points. TTU closed the set, 25-18.
Belmont got on the board first in the fourth set, but TTU went on a 3-0 run and took a 6-4 lead, before a kill from junior setter Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.) started a 5-0 run, taking a 9-6 lead over the Golden Eagles.
Both teams put together short runs, with Belmont maintaining their lead. The Bruins put together a short run and a kill from Myer won the set, 25-19, forcing the set into a fifth set.
In the deciding set, Myer sparked a Belmont run that ended with the Bruins scoring seven unanswered points. Three kills from sophomore Alex Martin (Ooltewah, Tenn.) closed the set, 15-6, giving the Bruins a 3-2 win.
This was the second meeting this season between Belmont and Tennessee Tech with the Bruins winning both matches.
McCoy led the Bruins with 17 kills and Myer added 15. Miranda tallied 46 assists. Myer and Gable each recorded 18 digs, while junior libero Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.) added 17 digs and led the team with two aces.
Kelsey Gray led Tech with 11 kills while Ellen Conti had 10 kills and 17 digs.
AUSTIN PEAY 3, SIUE 2
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE volleyball put up some season-best numbers but didn't get its desired end result in a five-set loss to Austin Peay.
The Cougars, 7-13 overall and 3-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference, dropped an 18-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-13, 15-7 loss to the Lady Govs, now 13-12 and 6-3 in the OVC. The Lady Govs won their fifth straight match.
SIUE finished the match with a season-high 15 blocks led by eight from Kristen Torre and seven each from Leslie Lindsey and Kelsey Augustine. It was a season best for all three Cougars.
On defense, Chelsea Colclasure recorded a season-best 33 digs.
Emma Anderson matched her career high with 15 kills. She has set that mark now six times in her collegiate career.
The Cougars opened up with two strong sets.
Austin Peay picked up its game after going down two sets. Nikki Doyle and Jada Stotts combined for 39 kills as the Lady Govs finished the match with a .207 hitting percentage.