WEDNESDAY'S SCORES
@Morehead State 3, Eastern Kentucky 0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-15)
MurrayState 3, @Austin Peay 1 (25-20, 25-17, 20-25, 25-15)
MOREHEAD STATE 3, EASTERN KENTUCKY 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Looking to extend their winning streak over their in-state rival, Morehead State volleyball did so in grand fashion Wednesday night. The Eagles (13-4, 4-1 OVC) swept Eastern Kentucky (6-13, 1-4), taking the match by scores of 25-18, 25-22, and 25-15.
Morehead State collected 49 total kills in the match, hitting .279 on the night. The Eagles assisted on 45 of the team's 49 kills, averaging 15 assists per set. Morehead State also dug up 50 total balls, averaging 16.67 digs per set.
A pair of Eagles found themselves with double-figure kill totals in the match, led by junior outside hitter Olivia Lohmeier who collected a match-best 17 kills. Sophomore middle blocker Mia Swearingen recorded 11 kills in the match, reaching double-digits for the seventh time this season. For the match, Lohmeier fashioned a .293 hitting percentage while Swearingen hit .381.
Adding to the Eagles kill total, sophomore middle blocker Hannah Keating added six kills, redshirt junior outside hitter Liz Allen and junior outside hitter Lauren Rokey added four apiece, freshman outside hitter Abby Hulsman collected three, senior middle blocker Karlee Reynolds chipped in two, and freshman setter Bridget Bessler and sophomore libero Allison Whitten recorded one each.
Morehead State recorded 45 assists on the evening, assisting on all but three of the team's kills. Bessler dished out a match-high 38 assists as Morehead State averaged 15 assists per set.
Much like the offense, the defense featured two players in double-figures as Whitten and sophomore defensive specialist Olivia Montelisciani dug up 15 and 11 balls, respectively. Bessler and McCarson added eight digs apiece while Allen (two), redshirt defensive specialist Taylor Hodges (one), Keating (two), Lohmeier (one), Rokey (one), and Swearingen (one) recorded digs for the Eagles.
At the net, Morehead State collected seven total team blocks. Allen paced the team with four total blocks while Swearingen added three for the Eagles with the duo combining for three team blocks. In service, five different Eagles recorded a service ace.
Eastern Kentucky's Abby Noll posted a team-best 12 kills and 6 digs. Noll hit .265 on the contest. Jovana Bulatovic chipped in eight kills of her own.
MURRAY STATE 3, AUSTIN PEAY 1
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Murray State picked up a four set win (25-20, 25-17, 20-25, 25-14) at Austin Peay on Wednesday night. With the win the Racers move to 10-7 overall and 4-1 in OVC play while the Govs fall to 5-14 overall and 3-2 in league play.
Murray State's Rachel Giustino notched a double-double with a match-high 30 kills to go with 12 digs. She also recorded a .463 hitting percentage. Rachel Holthous had 17 kills while Ashley McBee led all players with 52 assists. Becca Fernanadez led the team with 22 digs.
Chloe Stitt led Austin Peay with 15 kills while Brooke Moore had a team-high 19 digs. Kelsey Mead had 21 assists and Caroline Waite added 18. Genny Gerig Busse finished with 13 digs in the match.