FRIDAY'S SCORES
@UT Martin 3, Eastern Kentucky 0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-17)
@Southeast Missouri 3, Morehead State 0 (25-10, 27-25, 25-21)
@Murray State 3, Belmont 0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-9)
@Austin Peay 3, Tennessee State 0 (25-8, 25-17, 25-13)
@SIUE 3, Jacksonville State 1 (25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 25-17)
@Eastern Illinois 3, Tennessee Tech 2 (39-37, 22-25, 25-22, 16-25, 15-11)
UT MARTIN 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 0
MARTIN, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad unleashed a ferocious offensive attack this evening, speeding past Ohio Valley Conference foe Eastern Kentucky for a clean 3-0 sweep (25-19, 25-16, 25-17) at Skyhawk Fieldhouse.
Six days after UT Martin hit a then-season-high .360 over Eastern Illinois, the Skyhawks established a new season-best offensive performance tonight. UT Martin hit at a .396 clip, progressively improving its hitting percentage in each stanza (.333 in the first set, .400 in the second set, .455 in the third set). The Skyhawks dialed up 45 kills against only seven errors in 96 swings, improving to 7-14 (3-4 OVC) on the season.
Logan Wallick was responsible for a match-high 14 kills this evening, committing only two errors along the way for a .444 attack percentage. She was joined in double-digits in the kill column by Gintare Mackeviciute, who accounted for 11 kills (against just one error) on a rousing .588 hitting percentage.
Setting the UT Martin offense up for success all night was Kenzie Hinshaw, who handed out 31 assists while adding a hand in five blocks defensively. Freshman Lucy Kaufman scooped up a match-high 10 digs while Justine Walker posted a match-best six blocks at the net to complete the Skyhawks’ all-around effort.
Karen Scanlon and Mackeviciute each recorded a pair of early kills each to help UT Martin jump out to an 11-6 lead in the first set. The Colonels closed to within two points at 17-15 but kills by Addison Conley and Wallick pushed the Skyhawk advantage back out to five points. UT Martin put the finishing touches on a successful first set as two Wallick kills were featured in the final three points.
The second set started with back-to-back kills by Hinshaw and Scanlon. Moments later, a 6-2 Skyhawk surge resulted in an 11-6 UT Martin lead but Eastern Kentucky eventually pulled within a single point at 12-11. Mackeviciute then silenced the Colonel momentum, aiding the Skyhawks to a 13-5 run from that point forward as the senior tallied three kills and a block assist in crunch time.
Consecutive kills by Wallick and Walker opened the third stanza but Eastern Kentucky went on a 7-3 run to take a two-point lead. Conley and Wallick immediately responded with back-to-back kills and UT Martin would not trail for the duration of the set. The duo of Mackeviciute and Wallick notched 11 of the Skyhawks’ 17 kills in the final set, as Wallick’s sixth and final rally killer capped off a 6-1 UT Martin run and clinched the match for the Skyhawks.
Abby Noll paced the Colonel offense posting a match-best 14 kills on the night to go with four digs. Jovana Bulatovic chipped in eight kills with a .357 hitting percentage.
AUSTIN PEAY 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Chloe Stitt led all hitters with 16 kills and Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team swept Tennessee State (25-8, 25-17, 25-13) in Ohio Valley Conference action, Friday night at the Dunn Center.
Austin Peay (6-15, 4-3 OVC) set the tone in the opening set using a 20-kill performance to lead wire-to-wire. The Govs had to fend off the Tigers in the second set, using a 3-0 run to build an 11-7 lead that proved decisive en route to the 25-17 win. Austin Peay ran away again in the early going of Set 3, opening with a 7-3 burst to win the frame wire-to-wire.
Stitt’s 16 kills off the bench led an Austin Peay attack that finished with 51 kills and a season-best .381 attack percentage. Brooke Moore added an 11-kill, 11-dig performance while hitting .450. Tegan Seyring chipped in 10 kills and a .562 attack percentage.
Outside of the attack, Austin Peay setter Caroline Waite posted 29 assists and a kill. Libero Ginny Gerig Busse had 21 digs to lead a 58-dig outing for the Govs.
Tennessee State (9-11, 2-5 OVC) was held to 21 kills in the contest, hitting just .058 as a team. Julia Pierson led the Tigers with six kills and seven digs.
MURRAY STATE 3, BELMONT 0
MURRAY, Ky. - After suffering a tough loss in their last match, the Murray State volleyball team was firing on all cylinders, Friday night at Racer Arena as they swept Belmont by scores of 25-19, 25-19, and 25-9.
The Racers improve to 11-8 overall and 5-2 in the OVC while Belmont falls to 2-20 and 1-6 in conference play. With the win, combined with Morehead State and Jacksonville State losses tonight, the Racers are back in a tie for first in the OVC.
As a team, Murray State hit .371 and was led by Emily Matson, who hit .600 with 14 kills. Kolby McClelland also added 14 kills hitting .323 while Rachel Giustino hit .346 with 11 kills.
Ashley McBee dished out a team-high 39 assists and Becca Fernandez notched 22 digs. Rachel Holthaus led the team with five blocks as the Racers out-blocked the Bruins, 6-3, and held Belmont to a .134 hitting percentage.
After going back-and-forth early in the first set, the Racers used a 4-0 run to take a 12-6 lead. The Racer lead remained consistent the rest of the set as they eventually took the set, 25-19, on a kill by Matson.
McClelland opened the second set with two straight kills before a block by McBee and Holthaus and a service ace by Fernandez gave the Racers an early 4-1 lead. The Bruins responded quickly with their own 4-1 run to tie the set at five. Belmont kept it close for a while, but the Racers were able to pull away with a 4-0 run to take a 21-17 lead. After a point by Belmont, the Racers scored four of the last five points to take the set, 25-19.
The third set was all Racers as they jumped out to a 9-3 lead and never looked back, using a couple of big runs to pull away even further, including a 6-0 run to end the set, getting a kill by Matson, her third set-clinching point of the night, to clinch the match.
For the match, BU was led in kills by Taylor Floyd, who tallied 11. Classmate Carly Mason (Forsyth, Ill.) recorded 14 assists while Peyton Kelley (Normal, Ill.) finished with eight digs. Halee Van Poppel and Floyd each logged a service ace in the effort.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, MOREHEAD STATE 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri women's (13-8, 5-2 OVC) swept Morehead State (14-6, 5-2 OVC), 25-10, 27-25, 25-21, Friday evening at Houck Field House for its seventh sweep of the season and third in Ohio Valley Conference play.
Mikayla Kuhlmann led the Redhawks offense with 11 kills on a .320 hitting percentage while Laney Malloy added nine. Krista Berns chipped in seven (.538).
Claire Ochs dished out 30 assists while the team hit at a .268 rate.
Southeast jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the match behind a 25-10 opening set. SEMO hit at a .304 clip while the Eagles hit a dismal -.179.
A block from Maggie Adams and Kuhlmann coupled with a service ace from Berns gave the Redhawks a 10-4 advantage and prompted a Morehead State timeout.
Out of the break, Southeast grew its lead to 23-7 on a 13-3 run that included three consecutive service aces from Tara Beilsmith.
Beilsmith finished Friday with four service aces.
Malloy added a kill before an Eagles attack error clinched the set, 25-10.
The second set was a highly competitive affair that included seven tie scores. Kuhlmann led the Redhawks with eight kills as the team posted a .432 hitting percentage.
Back-to-back kills from Adams and Malloy gave the Redhawks a slight 11-7 edge.
Malloy slammed another kill to make the score 18-16 before MSU tied the frame at 19-19 with kills from Mia Swearingen and Liz Allen.
SEMO responded with three straight rally stoppers by Malloy, Kuhlmann and Ochs to make the score 22-19.
Morehead State retied the set at 22-22 before a Kuhlmann winner tied it at 24-24. Adams then added a kill to bring the Redhawks ahead 25-24.
Lauren Rokey hit a kill to tie the set at 25-25. Kuhlmann responded with a kill and Adams registered the solo block to seal the set, 27-25.
Southeast grabbed the sweep with a 25-21 third set.
Trailing a point, 9-10, SEMO went on a 5-0 run that included two kills from Annie Wehrheim to pull ahead 15-9.
A kill from Ochs pushed the advantage to 20-13 before a rally stopper from Kuhlmann combined with an attack error from MSU brought on set point, 24-16.
Morehead State went on a 5-0 rally to come within three points, 24-21, before committing an attack error.
Beilsmith led the defense with 13 digs. Ally Dion chipped in seven and Ochs, Emily Boggetto and Malloy each had six.
Dion posted a service ace to become the Southeast all-time career service aces leader (25-point rally scoring era from 2008 to present) with 94. She was tied with Jade Mortimer at 93 entering the match.
SEMO finished with a .268 hitting percentage compared to MSU's .122.
The Redhawks out blocked the Eagles, 7-2. Kuhlmann and Adams each led the team with four each. Berns added three and Wehrheim had two.
Morehead State junior outside hitter Olivia Lohmeier produced a match-high kill count for the second-consecutive match, tallying 19 kills. She recorded her 19 kills on 45 swings, hitting .222 while also producing 12 of her 19 kills in the match's second set. Falling one kill shy of double-figures, fellow junior outside hitter Lauren Rokey totaled nine kills on 26 swings, hitting .231. As a team, Morehead State collected 38 kills in the match while hitting .122 as a team.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 3, TENNESSEE TECH 2
CHARLESTON, Ill. - After six losses in a row the Panthers get their first win in OVC play against Tennessee Tech and move to 1-6 in the OVC. The Panthers won in five sets (39-37, 22-25, 25-22, 16-25, 15-11).
The Golden Eagles got off to a good start leading by ten points at one point. The Panthers fought back hard and tied the set up at 18-18. It was tight all the way through the rest of the set. The Panthers prevailed in the end winning the first set in extra points 39-37. In the first set was tied 21 times and it had 11 lead changes.
In the second set EIU jumped out to an early lead but the Golden Eagles fought back to tie it up at 7-7. Tennessee Tech went on a couple of runs to take control of the set until Ireland Hieb had a pair of kills to bring the Panthers back in it. The Golden Eagles take set two by three points.
The Panthers hopped out to an early lead and never let that go. EIU never lost the lead in the third set and was led by Kylie Michael throughout the set. TTU brought it back within two points but the Panthers won two of the last three points to take set three.
In the fourth set it was all Golden Eagles from the start. The Panthers tried to rally back but could never get their footing back and lost the set by nine points.
It all came down the fifth set and the Panthers couldn’t have gotten a better start. EIU jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the set. The Golden Eagles fought back to bring set within three points but the Panthers earn two of the last three points to win their first OVC match of the year.
The Panthers had four players in double figures tonight. Maggie Runge led the team in kills with 17, Kylie Michael and Ireland Hieb added 13 while Katie Sommer had 11. Bailey Chandler led the team in assist with 52 and added four kills. Kylie Michael ended the match with her first double-double of the year, she had 13 kills and ten digs.
Tennessee Tech was led by Rachel Thomas with 18 kills while Alli Verzani recorded a double-double with 17 kills and 11 digs. Taylor Dorsey added 16 kills as Carly Skrabak had a match-high 30 digs.
SIUE 3, JACKSONVILLE STATE 1
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The SIUE Volleyball kept its win streak alive by winning their fifth game in a row by defeating Jacksonville State 3-1, in an Ohio Valley Conference match on Friday.
The Cougars out blocked the Gamecocks, ending the evening with 12 blocks compared to the Gamecocks 5. Annie Ellis led the team with seven total blocks, while Kiana Fields and Dylynn Otte each contributed three.
Rachel McDonald and Addie Sieber both recorded double-doubles on the evening. McDonald recorded 12 kills and 11 digs, while Sieber posted 21 assists and 11 digs.
Others contributing to the team's win include Savannah Christian who ended the night with 8 kills and hit .261, Fields who added 8 kills and Hope Everett and Otte who each contributed 7 kills of their own.
Junior Kaylie Milton was the lone Gamecock to reach double-digits in kills with 10. She also led the team in digs with 16 as one of four to up 10-or-more Cougar attacks. Freshman Erin Carmichael had 14 digs, followed by Sadie Anderson with 13 and Lexie Libs with 11. A key factor for JSU hanging around was the return of senior Shayla Schmidt who entered midway through the second set for her first appearance since early September due to injury. She proceeded to add eight kills, five digs and led JSU with three blocks.