FRIDAY'S SCORES
Murray State 3, @Belmont 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-19)
Austin Peay 3, @Tennessee State 0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-18)
@Southeast Missouri 3, SIUE 0 (, 25-14, 25-19, 27-25)
Tennessee Tech 1, @Morehead State 1 (23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 25-19)
@Eastern Kentucky 3, Jacksonville State 1 (19-25, 25-19, 26-24, 25-21)
Eastern Illinois 3, @UT Martin 1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23)
MURRAY STATE 3, BELMONT 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Murray State volleyball team swept Belmont 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-19) on Friday at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
The first set was a typical back and forth set between the OVC opponents. Murray State took a 10-7 lead, but the Bruins would not give up easily as they came back and tied it 12-12. The score continued to go back and forth between the teams. Eventually, the Racers took the first set 25-22.
The second set, like the first set was an exchange of points between the two teams. MSU took a 20-16 lead, but Belmont took a timeout and cut the lead, but were never able to stop the Racers. Murray State took the second set 25-21.
The Bruins took a quick 6-3 lead in the third set. Murray State would gain momentum and tie the score 11-11. The Racers then took a 17-14 lead and never gave up their lead. MSU took the third set 25-19.
Three Racers recorded double-doubles. Scottie Ingram turned in 22 kills, which ranks tied fourth in the Racers Individual match highs for three set matches, to go along with 10 digs. Taylor Olden notched 13 kills with 13 digs. Sam Bedard added 39 assists to go along with 15 digs. Ellie Lorenz led the team with 20 digs.
AUSTIN PEAY 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Senior middle blocker Liz Landon had her best outing since the season’s opening day to lead Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team in a three-set sweep (25-15, 25-18, 25-18) of Tennessee State, Friday night, in Ohio Valley Conference action at Kean Hall.
Landon finished with 11 kills but recorded just one attack error to post a .556 attack percentage. It was her best offensive outing since a 12-kill effort in the season’s first match. Senior outside hitter Jada Stotts recorded 12 kills to lead the APSU offensive effort.
However, the story of the night was the Austin Peay (11-12, 5-2 OVC) defense which limited Tennessee State to 27 kills and a .081 attack percentage. It was the fewest kills by an APSU opponent and second-lowest attack percentage permitted. The Lady Govs posted an impressive 63 digs in the three-set match while posting seven blocks.
Meanwhile, Austin Peay’s offense recorded 47 kills and posted a .286 attack percentage in the winning effort. The Lady Govs recorded 14 kills and a .379 attack percentage in a wire-to-wire opening set win. Austin Peay posted 18 kills in the second set and used a 9-4 run to break open the frame. The Lady Govs cooled off to 15 kills and a .191 attack percentage in the third set but used a 7-2 run to break a 10-10 tie en route to the win.
EASTERN KENTUCKY 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1
RICHMOND, Ky. - In a match-up of two of the four teams tied for first in the Ohio Valley Conference, Eastern Kentucky beat Jacksonville State 3-1 on Friday at McBrayer Arena.
Junior Rachel Vick led the Colonels (16-7, 6-1 OVC) with a match best 19 kills. She also posted a .353 attack percentage. Alexis Plagens finished with 13 kills. Abbey Cvelbar contributed 49 assists and Dena Ott totaled 25 digs.
In the first set EKU fell 25-19 as Jacksonville State ended the set with a kill by Allyson Zuhlke. In the second set the Colonels used a 7-4 run to take a 17-14 lead and cruised to a 25-19 win.
In the third set, EKU took a six-point advantage, 24-18, on Dena Otts’ service ace but JSU scored six straight points to tie the set. However, back-to-back kills by Plagens and Vick gave EKU the set victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Eastern fought to break the 13-13 tie and pulled away late in the fourth set to win the match. The Colonels led by two late before Plagens gave EKU match-point, 24-21, with a kill. A Jacksonville State error ended the set and the match.
Charis Ludtke led Jacksonville State (13-10, 5-2 OVC) with 15 kills.
Eastern Kentucky had 59 kills, compared to 42 for the Gamecocks. JSU held a 7-4 advantage in blocks, but EKU had 11 more digs (86-75).
TENNESSEE TECH 3, MOREHEAD STATE1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - For the first time since 2009, the Tennessee Tech women's volleyball team got the best of perennial power Morehead State, winning the match 3-1; 23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 25-19.
Heading into the intermission, the match was tied at one set a piece, the Eagles taking the first, while Tech claimed the second.
The third set proved to be most pivotal, and Tech opened on a 4-0 advantage after a Cody Dodd and Alyssa Povey block foreshadowed the match. While Morehead was able to eventually close gap, forcing the Golden Eagle to call a timeout as the match became tied at 20. From there on, the squads traded points. Morehead took a 28-27 advantage, but back-to-back kills from Sharon Anderson and Povey gave the Golden Eagles the lead by one, and the match closed out on a Morehead hitting error.
In the fourth set, the Golden Eagles got under the skin of the host Eagles, outhitting them .233-.083, while tallying five team blocks to Morehead's one. Tech was able to take the set and the match on a 25-19 win.
The Golden Eagle (9-14, 4-3) were led by the junior Cody Dodd and freshman Kellie Williams. Dodd put down 15 kills, adding 10 digs and four blocks. Williams tallied 14 kills on an impressive .464 hitting percentage.
Sophomore setter Sharon Anderson had a stellar match, dishing out a match-high 46 assists, adding seven digs, five blocks, and three kills.
The Golden Eagles saw great play from freshmen K'Vonna Johnson and Jordan Wachowiak, as well as redshirt sophomore Alyssa Povey. Johnson and Povey each registered nine kills, while Povey added four blocks. Wachowiak put away seven timely kills, and added a team-high six blocks.
While Morehead (0-21, 0-7) has been in a slump of sorts this season, the team has been in most of its matches, just unable to find success. They were led by four different players who tallied double-digit kills. Laura McDermott and Hannah Sigala both registered 14 kills. Sigala added a match-high seven blocks, including three solo. Sydney Schuler added 12 kills and Bailey Nichol added 10 and eight digs.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, SIUE 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Southeast Missouri volleyball team swept the SIUE Cougars Friday evening in three sets (25-14, 25-19, 27-25).
The Redhawks improve to 7-14 overall on the season and 3-4 in Ohio Valley Conference play. SIUE is now 9-13, 1-6 OVC.
The beginning of the opening stanza was well fought on both sides of the net. Tied at nine, the Redhawks put up five-straight points on the Cougars to go out in front 14-9. It was all Redhawks the remaining of the set. Southeast secured the set with a 4-0 run, ending it with two SIUE errors, 25-14. Nzingha Clarke put up her first four-kill set of the match in set one.
It was a similar tale in set two. Tied at 10, Southeast used a small 3-0 run to take a lead. It wasn't much but it was enough to go ahead and stay ahead. With SIUE only two points behind at 20-18, Southeast used a 5-1 run to wrap up the set and go up 2-0 in the match, 25-19. As a team, Southeast hit .524 in the second set and put up six total blocks. Clarke had four blocks of her own in the set.
With the Redhawks on the cusp of a sweep, SIUE knew they had to come out ready to play in set three. A seven-point run put the Cougars ahead 14-7. The Redhawks never gave up though as they fought to even up the score at 20 all. The Redhawks went ahead 23-21 but SIUE retied it with two points of their own. Both teams found themselves knotted up at 25 all. Two SIUE errors sealed the sweep for Southeast, 27-25.
Clarke finished her evening with nine kills while hitting .692 and putting up five blocks. Taylor Masterson also had five blocks on the night with seven kills.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, UT MARTIN 1
MARTIN, Tenn. - Juniors Chelsea Lee and Abby Saalfrank delivered respective 17 and 12 kill performances to lead Eastern Illinois volleyball to a four-set Ohio Valley Conference win at UT Martin (22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-23) on Friday (Oct. 17) evening.
The Panthers move to 9-11 overall and 3-4 in OVC play as Eastern earned their first road league win of the early season. The Skyhawks, who entered the match tied with EIU in seventh place in the conference standings, dropped to 9-12/2-5.
Freshmen Maria Brown and Josie Winner each chipped in eight additional kills as Winner led the attack with a .375 clip. Brown, meanwhile, had a fine service game as she fired off four aces in the victory.
Junior setter Marah Bradbury dished out 44 assists and came one dig shy of a double-double, as she helped the Panther hit .169 for the contest.
Defensively, newcomer Allie Hueston's six blocks led all players on the court, while Bradbury stuffed three of her own.
Junior libero Stephanie Wallace upped a game-high 17 UTM attacks, while seniors Kelsey Brooke and Dakota Springer registered respective 11 and 12 digs of their own.
The match featured 18 ties and six lead changes as the Panthers up their all-time series advantage over the Skyhawks to 24-15 and 12-8 overall when playing in Martin, Tenn.
Eastern held the advantage over the host squad in kills, attacks, assists, digs, and points, while UTM just barely led the Panthers in attack and block. Both squads tallied eight aces apiece.
The Skyhawks were led by senior Emily Keaton's 10 put-downs and Chelsea Bowles' 16 digs, while Julia Devinney led the way at the net with five blocks.