FRIDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 3, Tennessee State 0 (25-17, 25-19, 32-30)
Belmont 3, @Eastern Kentucky 1 (25-22, 25-17, 25-14, 25-13)
@SIUE 3, Tennessee Tech 0 (25-15, 25-12, 25-19)
@Eastern Illinois 3, Jacksonville State 1 (26-24, 25-22, 20-25, 25-21)
Murray State 3, @Southeast Missouri 2 (21-25, 25-14, 18-25, 25-22, 15-10)
Austin Peay 3, @UT Martin 2 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 16-25, 15-12)
MOREHEAD STATE 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Sophomore outside hitter Courtney Smith led three players in double digit kills with 13, and senior libero Leslie Schellhaas compiled 18 digs, to guide the Morehead State volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 32-30) win over Tennessee State Friday at Wetherby Gym. The win secures at least a share of MSU's fourth straight Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship.
MSU (22-6/13-0 OVC) extended the nation's best conference regular-season winning streak to 35 matches and is now 65-2 in the league in the last four seasons. A win over Belmont Saturday would secure the title outright and give MSU the opportunity to host the OVC Tournament for the fourth consecutive season as well. The Tigers dipped to 10-14 overall and 6-7 in the conference.
Smith only committed two attack errors on 22 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage. As a team, the Eagles recorded a .302 attack efficiency and has now hit .358 in the last two matches.
Senior outside hitter Aryn Bohannon landed 12 kills, and junior right-side hitter Alex Fitzmorris contributed 10 winners. Sophomore Hannah Sigala had a hand in five of MSU's seven team blocks, while junior setter Colbey Cameron dished out 41 assists and had eight digs. Senior defensive specialist Lindsey Roth served up four aces.
Schellhaas upped her career dig total to 2,069. She needs only 14 more to move into second place on MSU's career chart.
Tennessee State's Sherryce Butler led her team with 13 kills via a .417 attack percentage. The rest of the TSU lineup was held to 22 kills with 14 errors. The Tigers hit .180 for the night.
Tennessee State had several opportunities to send the match to at least four sets. The Tigers led 23-21 and 24-22 in the third. Both teams had three set-point opportunities thwarted. TSU led 29-28 but a block error on the visitors and a service error, along with a pair of Eagle kills, lifted MSU to the comeback win.
BELMONT 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 1
RICHMOND, Ky. - Eastern Kentucky fell to Belmont 3-1 Friday at McBrayer Arena. Belmont won by scores of 22-25, 25-17, 25-14, and 25-13.
Eastern (15-14, 7-6 OVC) had 11 kills on 35 attempts, recording a .200 attack percentage, while the Bruins were .214 in the first set. The Colonels led by as many as seven points, as the Bruins (17-12, 10-3 OVC) struggled early in the match.
Eastern Kentucky went on to take the set over the Bruins, 25-22. Senior, Ashley Edmond recorded a late ace to push the Colonels over the defending OVC champions. Edmond led the team in points recording six, also making five kills to lead the Colonels in the first set.
EKU hit only .028 in the second set, as Belmont's lead over Eastern began to grow early, 9-6. The Colonels in an attempt to claw their way back mid-match had a total of 17 digs, seven of those courtesy of junior, Dena Ott.
Belmont controlled the remainder of the set to give the Bruins a 25-17 win in the second.
The Colonels trailed by as many as twelve points in the third set. With EKU didn't give up the fight and continued to try and capitalize on any Bruin mistake. A kill by junior Scarlet Gable pushed Belmont over the Colonels, 25-14, to send the match into a fourth set.
EKU trailed the majority of the fourth and final set. The match point was won on a kill by senior Allison McCoy giving the Bruins the set, 25-13.
Edmond was the match leader in kills, recording 13. Plagens was second best for the Colonels with 11 kills and 12 points. Abbey Cvelbar had 36 assists and Ott contributed 15 digs.
McCoy led the Bruins with 12 kills and 15.5 points.
SIUE 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE volleyball posted its most efficient hitting match ever in Ohio Valley Conference play Friday with a three-set triumph over Tennessee Tech at the Vadalabene Center.
The Cougars, now 10-16 overall and 6-7 in the OVC, finished with 46 kills, seven errors, and 92 attacks for a staggering .424 hitting percentage. It was the first time SIUE has hit better than .400 as a team since the Cougars defeated Chicago State during the 2010 season.
Cori Harris led the Cougars in scoring with 16 points off 13 kills and a team-leading three service aces. Kelsey Augustine and Taylor Held joined Harris in double figures with 11 kills each.
SIUE and Tennessee Tech had 10 ties in the opening set before the Cougars went on a 12-2 run to close out the set. SIUE libero Chelsea Colclasure served out the last eight points of the set.
Tennessee Tech, now 5-18 overall and 1-12 in OVC play, hit .183 for the match, mostly behind the efforts of Madison Keyes who hit .647 and was in on the Golden Eagles' only block of the night.
The Cougars were a perfect 12 for 12 on side out opportunities in the second set. SIUE became even more efficient on offense in the third set behind a 17-kill effort.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Three Panthers delivered double-digit kills as Eastern Illinois volleyball dispatched visiting Ohio Valley Conference East Division rival Jacksonville State in a four-set home match (26-24, 25-22, 20-25, 25-21) on Friday evening (Nov. 8) in Lantz Arena.
The win upped EIU's current season-long win streak to seven, as the Panthers improve to 16-10 overall and remain solidly in first place in the West Division standings at 10-3. Eastern also remains undefeated at home with a perfect 7-0 mark.
The Gamecocks of JSU, meanwhile, lost their seventh consecutive contest to fall to 11-17 overall and 4-9 in league play, remaining winless in road conference action this season.
Sophomore Abby Saalfrank paced EIU with 15 kills, off a team-best .414 attack, while also tying senior Amy Martin with five blocks on the night.
Classmate Chelsea Lee and senior Reynae Hutchinson both registered 14 kills, with Hutchinson earning her 39th career double-double with the addition of 17 digs.
Martin finished one put-down shy of double-digit kills as well, as she tallied nine put-a-ways, while fellow senior Stephanie Arnold chipped in eight kills and added a trio of stuffs.
Reigning OVC 'Setter of the Week' Marah Bradbury nabbed her 19th all-time duo-duo behind a 54 assist and 12 dig performance as Eastern finished with a .259-to-.186 attack advantage over JSU.
Sophomore libero Stephanie Wallace upped 21 digs of her own, while the junior defensive specialist duo of Kelsey Brooke and Dakota Springer each drilled an ace in the victory.
The Gamecocks were led by Emily Rutherford's 14 kill, 11 digs double-double, while Liza Pflugradt added 13 kills. Kacy Clinkenbeard and Nicole Merget earned nine and eight kills, respectively, while Kaitlyn Zelhart led the JSU attack clip of .583.
Defensively, JSU was led by senior libero Kelly Cole's 22 digs, while Merget paced the net defense with six blocks.
Meeting for the 19th time, the match featured 38 ties and 10 lead changes, as EIU pulled to within 14-5 of the Gamecocks in the all-time series history. The Panthers have now won two straight in the series, and the first home win over JSU since 2004.
The first set was a game of multi-point runs, as JSU started with a 2-0 lead before EIU countered with five straight points. Eastern extended their lead following a kill by Lee, forcing JSU to burn a timeout down 10-5 to EIU. But a 10-5 run by the visitors would knot the score at 15-all, before EIU enjoyed a pair of two-point leads, eventually leading 23-21. JSU would again go on a run to tie it at 24-all, yet the Panthers would take the frame thanks to a Saalfrank put-down, before joining Arnold for the final block and 26-24 victory.
The second frame had EIU maintaining a two-point cushion for most of the set, before consecutive JSU miscues helped EIU earn the 25-22 win and early 2-0 match lead. Eastern hit a game-high .400 in that stanza.
The third frame featured classic side-out ball, until the visiting squad finished with a momentum-shifting 7-2 late set run to extend the contest following the 25-20 victory.
An evenly played final set had the two teams tied at 9-all, 12-all, 15-all, and 16-all, before a JSU error and put-down by Martin would force the visiting squad to take a break in the action with EIU leading 19-16. The Gamecocks would get no closer than three points as JSU held off two straight match-points before a kill by Lee would give the Panthers their seventh consecutive OVC victory off the 25-21 win.
Besides leading JSU in attack, the Panthers also held the advantage over the Gamecocks in kills (63-to-53), assists (61-to-51), digs (72-to-67), and points (74.0-to-69.0). JSU did finish ahead of EIU in aces (five-to-two) and total blocks (11-to-nine).
Panthers return to action tomorrow afternoon, as EIU hosts Tennessee Tech (5-18/1-12), who were swept at SIUE this evening, at 2 p.m. Prior to the match, EIU will honor a trio of seniors – Stephanie Arnold, Reynae Hutchinson and Amy Martin – playing their final home match of their career
MURRAY STATE 3, SOUITHEAST MISSOURI 2
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Alyssa Lelm recorded 20 kills and Taylor Olden and Scottie Ingram each chipped in 14 as the Murray State volleyball team came-from-behind on the road to defeat Southeast Missouri 3-2 (21-25, 25-14, 18-25, 25-22, 15-10). The win pushes their record back over .500 at 14-13 (4-9,
The Racers trailed both 1-0 and 2-1, but were able to salvage the match and keep their playoff hopes alive with the win.
Lelm’s 20 kills were the most by her since she hit the 20 mark at Jacksonville State (Sept. 28). Lelm also earned a .342 attack percentage as well. Olden and Ingram both picked up double-doubles on the night. Ingram led the Racers with 19 digs to go along with her 14 kills and Olden dug out 12.
Setter Sam Bedard finished two kills away from her second career triple-double. Bedard filled the stat sheet with 55 assists, 13 digs, eight kills and one service ace.
Senior Katlyn Hudson made her return to the lineup. After missing six games, the libero played all five sets and picked up 16 digs and two service aces.
Early in the first set, Murray State gained control with a 6-4 lead. That did not last long as the Redhawks rattled off seven straight points to take an 11-6 lead. SEMO extended their lead all the way to 10, 20-10 and withstood a late Racers rally to hold on for the 25-21 win. The Racers were able to cut the lead to four, 22-18, but the lead proved too much and the Redhawks walked away with the opening set.
Murray State was able to tie the match right back up with a dominating 25-14 win in the second set. The Racers jumped out to a 7-2 lead and then pushed that quickly to 10, 15-5. MSU was able to cruise the rest of the way, evening up the match at one apiece.
Trailing 10-7 in the tie-breaking third set, MSU scored five straight points to take their first lead of the set, 12-10. The lead did not last long as the Redhawks answered with four straight of their own, reclaiming the lead and never giving it back on their way to a 25-18 win and 2-1 lead in the match.
With their backs against the wall, the Racers came out hot, scoring seven of the set’s first 10 points. MSU appeared to be in control of the set up 14-8, but SEMO scored six straight points, four off Racer attack errors, to tie the match, 14-14. Olden then took over and landed three straight kills to put the Racers back up 17-14 and inject some much needed life back into the team. The Redhawks cut the Racer lead down to one on five different occasions, but again it was Olden who put the match away with two more kills, knotting the match at 2-2. Olden finished with seven kills in the set, each more important than the last.
The fifth and deciding set was more Racers and again more Taylor Olden. Olden started the scoring for the Racers, putting them on the board first with two consecutive kills. MSU scored the first three points in the set and took a commanding 7-3, forcing SEMO to call a timeout. After the Redhawks cut a six point lead down to four, 10-6 the Racers used their timeout to regroup. Emily Schmahl landed a kill after the break, but SEMO scored twice after, bringing the lead down to three, 11-8. The Racers went back on the offensive and scored four of the final six points, getting another kill from Olden to finish off the match.
Murray State hit a whopping .256, their highest in conference play this season and third highest overall. Their 78 kills were also the second most the Racers have totaled in 2013.
For the Redhawks, Emily Coon led the team with 19 kills. Colleen Yarber recorded a double-double with 16 kills and 17 digs. Berkley Idel finished with a match-high 23 digs and Julie Shives handed out 52 assists.
AUSTIN PEAY 3, UT MARTIN 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team surrendered a two-set lead in its Ohio Valley Conference match against UT Martin, but held on to win in five sets (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 16-25, 15-12), Friday night, at Skyhawk Fieldhouse.
Austin Peay (11-19, 8-5 OVC) won the first two sets, but neither was a comfortable victory. Neither team led by more than three points in the opening set, the Lady Govs needing to fend off a set point at 24-23. Junior Hillary Plybon posted two kills in the final four points and junior Jada Stotts finished the set with a service ace.
The Lady Govs rallied from a 12-7 deficit in the second set, scoring six consecutive points to take a brief 13-12 lead. Austin Peay would get to set point first, 24-20, but saw the Skyhawks stave off three set-point opportunities, but a service error handed Austin Peay the 25-23 victory.
UT Martin (9-20, 3-10 OVC) dominated the third and fourth sets. The Skyhawks grabbed a 7-3 lead in the third frame and extended that advantage to eight points and never looked back in the 25-16 victory. Austin Peay scored the fourth sets first three points, but UTM quickly countered with the next six points. The Lady Govs forced a 7-7 tie on a kill by senior Lauren Henderson, but the Skyhawks scored six of the next nine points and never looked back posting another 25-16 win to tie the match.
The fifth set was a back-and-forth affair. Austin Peay built an 8-5 lead only to watch UT Martin reel it back in with a 6-3 run to force an 11-11 tie. Freshman Sammie Ebright broke the tie with a kill on the next rally and Henderson pushed APSU’s lead to two points with a kill. The Skyhawks gave Austin Peay match point with an attack error, which APSU immediately capitalized on thanks to sophomore Aubrey Marsellis’ kill to win the match with a 15-12 decision.
Plybon posted a team-leading 13-kill performance in the win, adding three service aces and four blocks. Henderson chipped in 10 kills and six blocks, while sophomore Samantha Strother led the bench with an eight-kill outing.
Austin Peay had frustrating night at the net, while it posted 10 blocks it also was whistled for an incomprehensible 14 blocking errors. Those errors nearly wrecked the Lady Govs outing, particularly with four errors in the fourth set.
Julia Devinney and Allie Whimpey each had 15 kills to pace the Skyhawks attack. Devinney posted a .393 attack percentage while Whimpey finished with a .379 mark off the bench.