TUESDAY’S SCORES
Xavier 3,
@Morehead State 0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-17)
@Western Kentucky 3,
Austin Peay 0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-11)
XAVIER 3, MOREHEAD STATE 0
MOREHEAD, Ky – Junior middle blocker Alex Smith and junior outside hitter Sarah Brown tallied eight kills apiece to lift the Xavier volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-17) victory over Morehead State in the Eagles’ home opener on Tuesday evening at Wetherby Gym.
The Musketeers improve to 3-1 on the season, while the Eagles slip to 0-4. MSU opened the campaign with three Top 35 opponents in Louisville last weekend.
Senior outside hitter Ellie Roberson paced Morehead State with a match-high nine kills.
Senior setter Caitlin Clark handed out 19 assists for the Eagles, while junior defensive specialist Leslie Schellhaas registered a match-best 18 digs. Schellhaas, who averages more than 5.0 digs per set this season, set the MSU single season record for ups during her sophomore season.
Xavier hit .224 (33 K, 11 E, 98 TA) in the match, while MSU was limited to an .018 efficiency (28 K, 26 E, 114 TA). The Musketeers also collected 18 block assists, while the Eagles managed four. MSU handed the visitors nine points via service errors and Xavier also put together a 69 percent sideout percentage compared to MSU’s 47.
The match featured 10 ties and four lead changes. Follwing an offensive struggle in the opener, both teams improved their attacking in the second set with the Eagles hitting .286 and Xavier improving to .357. But MSU made nine errors in the opening set and 13 in the last frame.
The visitors utilized significant runs in each set. MSU trailed 12-10 in the first set before the Musketeers used an 8-2 run to pull away. XU put together 7-2 runs late in the second and third sets to distance itself for the win.
Morehead State continues its home slate with two matches on Friday and one on Saturday. The Eagles open the Comfort Inn and Suites Invitational against Northern Kentucky at 11 a.m. ET. MSU will also face Evansville and Alabama A&M in the weekend tournament at Wetherby Gym.
WESTERN KENTUCKY 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Austin Peay’s offense was unable to find its rhythm and fell in three sets (14-25, 15-25, 11-25) to Western Kentucky, Tuesday, at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Western Kentucky (2-2) took control of the opening set with runs of 6-0 and 5-0 as part of a larger 11-3 run that gave it a 13-5 lead. Austin Peay would battle back with a 5-0 run of its own later in the set, but could not recover all the ground lost, falling 25-14.
Austin Peay (1-4) was its own worst enemy in the second set. Four early errors gave WKU an early lead which the Hilltoppers expanded into a 14-3 lead. The Lady Govs regained a measure of composure midway through the set and traded points, but could not get closer than nine points and the Hilltoppers won the set 25-14.
Western Kentucky used a 6-0 run early in the third set to build a 10-3 lead. The Lady Govs again gathered themselves and were able to trade points with the Hilltoppers but could not gain any ground. A spate of late Austin Peay errors finally handed control of the set to Western Kentucky which posted a 25-11 win.
Austin Peay’s offense struggled again and recorded only 24 kills in the match. Senior outside hitter Nikki Doyle and sophomore middle blocker Hillary Plybon each had six kills to lead the offense.
Western Kentucky posted 45 kills en route to the win and put forth a balanced effort with nine players recording a kill. Heather Boyan and Jordyn Skinner had eight kills each.
Austin Peay returns to action at the Missouri State Invitational, Friday and Saturday.