FRIDAY'S SCORES
@SIUE 3, Eastern Kentucky 2 (26-25, 14-25, 25-23, 13-25, 15-13)
Southeast Missouri 3, @Tennessee State 0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-16)
@Belmont 3, UT Martin 0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-16)
@Morehead State 3, Eastern Illinois 0 (25-23, 25-19, 26-24)
Austin Peay 3, @Tennessee Tech 0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-18)
Jacksonville State 3, Murray State 1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-15, 25-20)
SIUE 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 2
RICMOND, Ky. - SIUE volleyball ran its winning streak to five matches Friday with a hard-fought five-set victory over Eastern Kentucky at McBrayer Arena.
In each of the three sets SIUE won, the Cougars had to come from behind, including the decisive fifth set. SIUE, which improved to 15-4 overall and 5-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference, captured the victory 26-24, 14-25, 25-23, 13-25, 15-13.
SIUE produced some exciting moments in the fifth set where led by as many as four points (8-4) early. Eastern Kentucky, which came into the contest with a four-match winning streak as well, would come from behind to take the lead 13-12. Paulus called a time after EKU grabbed the lead. Her words during the timeout were pretty much a reinforcing what she was seeing from her players.
EKU watched the Cougars closed out the match with three straight points with a kill from Jackie Scott and two EKU attack errors.
The come-from-behind night for the Cougars started in set one. The Cougars trailed 19-12 before Taylor Joens served strong for the Cougars to move SIUE within 19-17. EKU had a set point at 24-23 but three straight points, including two blocks by Joens (one with Ashley Witt and the other with Emily Harrison), gave SIUE the set win.
Once again in the third set, SIUE was down by as many as six points but found a way back in the end. Two unforced EKU errors gave SIUE the set win.
EKU, 7-14 overall and 5-2 in OVC play, roughed up the Cougars in sets two and four.
Joens led the Cougars with 13 kills followed by 11 from Witt. SIUE hit just .107 for the match that included 34 attack errors. Knight said she kept encouraging her hitters to keep pushing.
Nikki Drost powered the Colonels with 22 kills. EKU hit .183 for the match.
SIUE also got a lift off the bench with four kills from Annie Ellis and three from Gabby Wimes.
AUSTIN PEAY 3, TENNESSEE TECH 0
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Freshman Brooke Moore finished with 10 kills to deliver Austin Peay State University volleyball head coach Taylor Mott her 400th career win in a three-set (25-20, 25-18, 25-18) Ohio Valley Conference sweep of Tennessee Tech, Friday night, at the Eblen Center.
Austin Peay (18-4, 6-1 OVC), which regained sole possession of the OVC lead with the win, had to shake off a uneven start to the match. The Govs trailed 10-5 in the opening frame after committing five attack errors – three coming by hitting into the Tennessee Tech block. But Austin Peay responded with 6-0 run to take the lead, 16-15, and slowly worked their way to the opening set win.
Tennessee Tech (3-16, 1-6 OVC) remained winless at home despite pushing the Govs in not only the first set but also the third. The Golden Eagles forced nine ties and four lead changes in the final set, knotting the final set at 15-15. Austin Peay scored the next two points and later used a five-point burst to put the match safely away.
Moore paced the Govs with a 10-kill, 14-dig outing that also saw her post a team-best .348 attack percentage. Senior Ashley Slay added nine kills and four blocks.
Tennessee Tech’s Rachel Thomas posted 10 kills, a .421 attack percentage and five blocks. However, the Golden Eagles were held to a .096 team attack percentage with the rest of the team finishing with 22 kills, 19 errors and a .032 percentage.
BELMONT 3, UT MARITN 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Firing on all cylinders, Belmont Volleyball breezed by visiting UT Martin on Friday night in the Curb Event Center. The Bruins (10-9, 5-2 OVC) knocked off the Skyhawks (9-11, 3-4 OVC), 3-0, to improve to 5-2 in conference play and snap a two-match slide.
After a handful of ties to open the first set, BU got down to business. Belmont put together a 4-0 run to pull ahead, 16-12, forcing the Skyhawks to burn their first timeout of the frame. The Bruins continued to pile on the points, thanks to multiple kills by graduate student Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) and seniors Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) and Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.). A block by Vestal and freshman Mackenzie LePage (Franklin, Tenn.) lifted the team to set point and a kill into the back row by Vestal sealed the 25-21 win.
BU lost no momentum and opened the second stanza with a 5-0 run, sparked by a pair of service aces by junior Haley Sullivan (Lemont, Ill.). The Bruins doubled up on UT Martin, 10-5, before the Skyhawks suddenly exploded on a 5-0 run and knotted the score, 11-11. Belmont called timeout to regroup and used a flurry of service aces, blocks and vicious kills to regain the lead. The Skyhawks bounced back and used a 4-0 run to take their first lead, 19-16. However, the Bruins gutted out the point differential and claimed the set 25-23 behind errors by their opponent.
The Bruins jumped out to another hot start after the break, once again pulling away 10-5 early. The Skyhawks had to use a timeout early in hopes of stopping their streaking opponent but the point differential continued to grow. By the time UTM called its final timeout, Belmont was ahead, 17-9, propelled by kills by Person, LePage and junior Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.). The Skyhawks could find no answers to the Bruin offense, falling behind by as many as eight points down the stretch. A UTM service error set Belmont at match point before Person smashed a kill between defenders to take the set, 25-16.
A pair of Bruins finished with double doubles - Person recorded a match-high 18 kills and 13 digs while junior Maggie Mullins (Nashville, Tenn.) notched the first of the season with a match-high 35 assists and 14 digs. Lewis added 10 digs in the effort. Nichols finished with the lone solo block of the night. Sullivan notched a pair of service aces, matching her season-best output.
Hannah Phillips led the Skyhawks with seven kills while Brooke Gyori had a team-high nine digs.
MOREHEAD STATE 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Led by an all-around performance from junior setter Jordan Jones, Morehead State volleyball swept Eastern Illinois by scores of 25-23, 25-19, and 26-24 on Friday night at Wetherby Gym.
The Eagles move to 11-9 (2-5 Ohio Valley Conference), while Eastern Illinois falls to 9-10 (3-4 OVC).
Jones ended her night with a team-high 12 kills, 25 assists, seven digs, and four blocks. She recorded a hitting percentage of .435, contributing to Morehead State's mark of .315 as a team – its second-highest hitting percentage of the season.
Morehead State never trailed in the opening set, ultimately cruising to a two-point victory. It was in the second that the Eagles' attack truly transpired in full force, as MSU managed a blazing .520 hitting percentage as a unit.
Though the third set came down to the wire after ties of 19, 20, 22, 23, and 24, Morehead State ultimately completed its eighth sweep of the year and first of OVC play.
Olivia Lohmeier logged 11 kills and two blocks, while Danielle McCarson led the Eagles with 13 digs. Morehead State chronicled nine blocks as a team.
Leading the Panthers offensively in the match was Laurel Bailey who totaled a team-high sixteen kills. Taylor Smith picked up her eleventh double-double of the season finishing with ten kills and a team-high 21 assists. Anne Hughes led the Panthers defense with a team-high 16 digs.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (7-14, 2-5) swept Tennessee State (6-14, 2-5), 25-19, 25-22, 25-16, Friday evening at Kean Hall for the team's first road win of the season.
The Redhawks have now won the last six meetings with the Tigers and have now matched their win total from last season.
Krissa Gearring led the SEMO offense with 14 kills on a .343 hitting clip. Mikayla Kuhlmann and Nzingha Clarke each chipped in nine kills.
Allie Henkelman totaled 20 assists and 12 digs for her third straight double-double performance and seventh of the campaign. Keegan Fornoff added 14 assists.
Libero Ally Dion led the Redhawks defensively with 14 digs.
Down 10-14 in the opening set, Southeast went on a 6-0 run with back-to-back kills from Gearring, a Fornoff service ace and two Tennessee State attack errors to take a 16-14 edge. The Tigers would then call their first timeout of the set.
After the timeout, Krista Berns would grow the Redhawks lead to 19-16 with two kills. Kuhlmann added another kill to give SEMO the first set, 25-19.
Southeast outhit TSU .182 to .056 as the Tigers recorded nine errors in the first frame. Gearring paced the Redhawks with six kills and converted .385.
The Redhawks took a 2-0 lead in the match after a 25-22 second set win where the team hit a .235 percentage.
Southeast once again had to overcome an early deficit in the second stanza. Tennessee State jumped out to an early 11-6 lead before Southeast cut the deficit to a point at 10-11. Madara Bajare hit one of her three second set kills and Clarke hit back-to-back kills in the rally.
A kill from Haley Bilbruck knotted the set at 19-19 before kills from Kuhlmann and Gearring along with a Tigers error made the score 22-19. TSU would come as close as a point but Bajare added another kill and a set error gave SEMO the 25-22 win.
The Redhawks dominated the third and final set, 25-16, to claim the contest. Southeast hit a match-high .387 in the set and Clarke added five of her kills.
Three-straight kills from Kuhlmann and Clarke (2) extended SEMO's lead to 19-8. Tennessee State came as close as 23-16 on a block by Katora Roberts and Rachel Henderson but Southeast closed out the set two points later, 25-16.
The Redhawks continue their Music City road set with a 2 p.m. match tomorrow afternoon at Belmont.
JACKSONVILLE STATE 3, MURRAY STATE 1
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - The Jacksonville State volleyball team increased its home win-streak to nine matches dating back to last season, with a 3-1 (25-18, 21025, 25-15, 25-20) win over Murray State Friday night at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
The Gamecocks (18-8, 4-3 Ohio Valley Conference) matched their season win total from a season ago, while taking down the reigning conference champion Racers. MSU fell to 12-7 overall and now holds and identical 4-3 mark in league play.
The win was the first for JSU over the perennial power since 2013, and in the process checked the final box for a senior class that has now defeated every other conference member.
Senior Charis Ludtke put away the final kill of the night to finish with a team-best 14, and added four blocks to JSU's 16.5 total. Freshman Madison Cooler was the only other Gamecock to finish with double-digit kills, recording 10 kills and 13 digs as part of her second career double-double.
The strength of the Gamecocks came on the defensive side of the net with a 12.5 block difference in the match. Junior Mackenzie Rombach led the way with seven blocks for the third time this season, followed by Kaylee Frear and Allyson Zuhlke each with six to create a front that the Racers couldn't find an answer for. MSU hit just .076 for the match.
JSU began to make its move in the opening set following a kill from Frear to make it 12-8. The Colorado Springs, Colo.. native finished with five big kills on a .308 attack percentage. With the game still in question at 23-17, Frear sent another ball down to set the Gamecocks up with set-point. The second stanza would be the only time the Racers hit above .200 as they fought back to even the match at a set apiece heading into the break.
In the third, Cooler had three aces in a span of four serves as part of a 7-0 run for JSU to pull away from a 6-6 deadlock. The lead would grow to as many as 10 at 22-12, before JSU finished the set at 25-15. Jax State finished off the match victory without needing to go five for the first time in three matches. JSU's largest lead in the fourth frame was at 19-13, a tight battle throughout, but the Racers never led after starting down 0-2.
Rachel Giustino led MSU with 13 kills in the loss while Olivia Chatman added 12. Courtney Radle, in the first action of her career at outside hitter, tallied eight kills while Liza Gober chipped in with seven and hit a team-high .300.
Murray State's Ashley McBee recorded her first career double-double in the match as she notched a match-high 40 assists and had a career-best 12 digs. Alex Kaufmann led the way with 19 digs on the night while Becca Fernandez had 16.