FRIDAY'S SCORES
Morehead State 3, @Tennessee State 1 (25-22, 25-22, 25-15, 26-24)
Southeast Missouri 3, @Eastern Illinois 0 (25-23, 25-18, 27-25)
Belmont 3, @SIUE 1 (25-21, 25-20, 25-17, 25-21
@Tennessee Tech 3, Austin Peay 2 (25-27, 25-21, 25-17, 25-23, 15-13)
@UT Martin 3, Murray State 2 (20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 15-25,15-8)
MOREHEAD STATE 3, TENNESSEE STATE 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Grad student Olivia Lohmeier landed 14 kills and added five blocks while moving into sole possession of second place on Morehead State's career kills list as the Eagles rallied to defeat Tennessee State 3-1 at Kean Hall Friday night.
MSU won its fourth consecutive match, improved to 8-9 overall, and edged its Ohio Valley Conference record up to 4-2.
Lohmeier, who entered the match tied with Dayle Hamontree (1987-90) with 1,772 successful spikes in her career, upped her total to 1,786.
The Eagles fell 25-22 in the opening set to the host Tigers but rebounded to win by an identical score in the second frame. The Eagles coasted to a 25-15 victory to take a 2-1 lead before finding themselves down 23-20 in the fourth. But, a kill from freshman Maycie Welborn and a combo block by freshman Irene Wogenstahl and Lohmeier knotted it at 23-all. TSU scored the next point for set point, but Lohmeier and Welborn smacked down kills to take a 25-24 advantage. Senior Taylor Hodges then aced the Tigers to end the match. Hodges finished with a career-high five service aces.
Coinciding with the Eagles' winning streak has been stupendous team blocking, and tonight was no exception. The Eagles turned back 11 TSU attacks, and MSU now has 50 blocks in its latest four matches. Wogenstahl, Welborn and freshman McKenzee Wagener all had four blocks.
Besides Lohmeier's offensive prowess, Wagener notched a career-best 12 kills, and in fact her first-ever double-digit kills total in a single match. Sophomore Abby Hulsman also had double-digits with 11 kills tonight. Welborn registered double-digit terminations for the second straight match with 10.
Setter Bridget Bessler recorded her seventh double-double of the fall with 42 assists and a team-best 15 digs. Libero Allison Whitten and back row specialist Olivia Montelisciani also contributed 11 digs apiece.
Tennessee State's Aniya Williams led all players with 18 kills while Aria Holmes added 10. Gina Rivera Ortiz had a math-high24 digs.
The teams will conclude the two-match OVC set on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Southeast Missouri women's volleyball (13-5, 4-2 OVC) downed Eastern Illinois (7-9, 0-6 OVC), 25-23, 25-18, 27-25, Friday night at Lantz Arena to open the two-match road series.
For the Redhawks, the sweep was SEMO's third straight and extended its win streak to three.
Zoey Beasley and Colby Greene each registered 11 kills to lead the Redhawks hitting at a beat of .478 and .348, respectively.
Laney Malloy chipped in nine kills with six digs.
SEMO struggled out of the gates, falling behind 7-1 early in the first set.
A kill from Ochs cut the lead to 9-5.
The Panthers increased the margin to 20-12 after a 5-0 run. Kylie Michael had three kills during the rally.
SEMO continued to fight back and clawed within three (19-22) after rally stoppers by Talia Gouard (2) and Beasley.
Michael added another kill to make the score 23-19 before the Redhawks claimed the first frame on a 6-0 run.
Beasley knocked her fifth kill of the set before an ace by Izzy Lukens made it a one-point set (22-23).
EIU hit three consecutive errors to conclude the set as SEMO took an early 1-0 lead with a 25-23 first stanza.
The Redhawks started hot in the second set, commencing with a 5-2 edge.
A pair of kills from Greene to bookend a Panthers ball handling error made the SEMO advantage 13-8.
Greene slammed two more kills to widen the gap to 15-9. The rightside hitter from North Liberty, Iowa, posted seven rally stoppers in the second set on a .417 clip.
Malloy belted a pair of kills to keep EIU at bay, 20-14.
The Panthers came as close as 22-18 after a block assist by Michael and Emily Wilcox.
Greene wrapped up the set with a pair of kills before an EIU error.
SEMO hit a match-best .353 in the second set and finished the match with a rate of .274. EIU finished with a .162 behind a .231 third stanza.
The Panthers responded with a 4-1 third set lead that increased to 9-3.
A kill by Beasley halved the EIU advantage to 12-6.
SEMO then pulled within two (11-13) on a 5-0 run. Megan Harris recorded a pair of aces during the sequence and Greene added a kill.
Harris made her first career start Friday. The freshman defensive specialist from Nesbit, Mississippi, notched a career-high seven digs to complement three aces and an assist.
Gouard and Claire Ochs each hit kills to keep the EIU lead at two (13-15 and 14-16).
Beasley then hit three kills to cut the deficit to 20-17. She had five kills in the final set on a .625 hitting percentage.
Mackenzie Meehan connected on a kill before an ace by Harris made the scoreboard read 21-19 EIU.
Greene then teamed up with Meehan for a block assist before a kill after a Panthers error as SEMO came within one, 23-22.
Greene and Malloy then hit consecutive rally stoppers to knot the set at 24-24. Greene had four kills during the third set on a .571 clip.
Michael hit a kill for the Panthers before SEMO secured the victory with three straight points.
Ochs connected on a kill followed by an EIU error and a Malloy service ace to conclude the match.
Ochs dished out 30 assists with five digs and four kills (.429).
Tara Beilsmith led the defense with 14 digs and two assists. Ally Dion added six digs with an assist and an ace.
SEMO led Eastern Illinois in aces, 6-4.
The Panthers out blocked the Redhawks, 5-2.
Michael paced EIU with 13 kills and eight digs. Christina Martinez Mundo had a match-high 19 digs and Bailey Chandler finished with 20 assists.
SEMO closes out its series at Eastern Illinois Saturday afternoon. First service is set for 4 p.m., CT at Lantz Arena.
BELMONT 3, SIUE 1
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - After getting tripped up with a lopsided first set loss, Belmont University volleyball roared back to take three sets in a row and get an important 3-1 win over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Friday night at First Community Arena.
The win is Belmont's first ever road victory at SIUE, and snaps a 7-match Cougar winning streak in the all-time series.
Kailee Bass recorded a career-high seven blocks in the victory, including a remarkable four blocks in a 25-20 second set win that turned the tide for the Bruins. Taylor Floyd hit a sizzling, season-high .345 on the way to 15 kills, and Lauren Walsh picked up 15 kills as well. Izzy Schauer finished with another double-double, chipping in 14 digs to go along with 19 assists.
After falling 13-25 in the opening frame, it might have been easy for the Bruins' confidence to get shaken. Instead, Belmont (5-11, 3-3 OVC) found a new gear and played efficient, error-free volleyball on the way to a 25-20 win in Game 2 that evened up the match at 1-1.
Over and over, Bass was up to the task at the net, combining with Mary Catherine Ball and Carly Mason to challenge the attack of SIUE (4-13, 1-4 OVC). As a team, the Bruins recorded 11.0 blocks, their second-highest total this season.
In the third set, Belmont trailed 6-11 before rattling off a 10-1 run that gave them a 16-12 lead. From there, the Bruins went back-and-forth with a tough Cougars squad, tying 17-17 and 21-21. The Bruins earned a 24-23 lead with a chance to seal the set, but SIUE rattled off back-to-back points to take a 25-24 lead.
Yet, Belmont refused to quit, rattling off three points in a row to force the seventh lead change of the frame and win 27-25, taking a commanding 2-1 lead in sets.
The Bruins kept their foot on the gas in the fourth frame, rolling to a 25-21 match-securing win.
Carly Mason got her first start of the season at right side hitter and also played setter, finishing with an impactful 18 assists along with five digs and five blocks. Rachel McBride tallied 20 digs in the win.
The Cougars were led by Savannah Christian, who registered 14 kills and hit at an outstanding .303 clip. Following closely behind were Sydney Hummert, who notched 11 kills on the night, and the trio of Julia Treichel, Ainsley Ranstead, and Annie Ellis, who each recorded seven kills. Three Cougars registered double-digit kills, led by Alyse Drifka's 18. Drifka also notched her seventh double-double of the season with a 20-assist, 18-kill outing. Grace Beekman followed closely behind Drifka with 19 assists, while Jessica Vineyard led the Red & White in blocks with an error-free four.
Belmont will look to capitalize on the thrilling win when they rematch with SIUE on Saturday back inside First Community Arena. First serve is set for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
TENNESSEE TECH 3, AUSTIN PEAY 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University's volleyball team dropped their first Ohio Valley Conference contest of the season in a close five-set match (27-25, 21-25, 17,25, 25-23, 15-13) against Tennessee Tech, Friday, at the Elben Center.
Despite their second-highest attack percentage of the season (.359), the Govs were unable to overcome an even stronger offensive performance by Tennessee Tech (.381) and fell to the Golden Eagles for the first time since 2019.
Tenessee Tech was led by Madolyn Isringhausen with 23 kills while Taylor Dorsey added 15 kills. Madeline Furtado chipped in 14 kills. Ashley Hand notched a double-double with 52 asist and 16 digs while McKenna Young had a team-high 24 digs.
Mikayla Powell, Brooke Moore and Kaylah Jackson each posted double-digits in kills against Tennessee Tech. Moore led the Govs with 23 digs – the second-most of her career.
After trailing 2-1, the Govs forced a fifth set after a narrow 25-23 fourth-set victory, but saw a late comeback fall short in the match-deciding set.
Austin Peay will face Tennessee Tech Saturday at 2 p.m. (CT)
Tennessee Tech jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set and held the advantage until a late run by the Govs to take a 23-20 lead forced a TTU timeout. After a back-and-forth battle, the Govs took the early lead with a 27-25 victory in overtime.
Austin Peay took its first lead of the second set after a 3-0 run following the media timeout; however, TTU responded with a 5-1 run and tied the match with a 25-21 second-set victory.
An 8-1 run early in the third set propelled the Golden Eagles to a 25-17 victory.
Austin Peay fended off a late run by Tennessee Tech in the fourth to force the match-deciding fifth set.
The Govs rallied from down 13-10 in the fifth set, but Tennessee Tech handed the Govs their first conference loss of the season on their second match point opportunity.
UT MARTIN 3, MURRAY STATE 2
MARTIN, Tenn. - For the first time in almost exactly a decade, a University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball player accumulated a triple-double as Karen Scanlon enjoyed a career night in a 3-2 Skyhawk victory (20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 15-25, 15-8) over Murray State this evening.
A senior out of Scottsdale, Ariz., Scanlon tallied a team-high 15 kills, 11 digs and a career-best 11 blocks – dialing up the first UT Martin triple-double since Jenna Miller (10 kills, 42 assists, 18 digs) against Jacksonville State on Oct. 10, 2011. Scanlon also added a .250 hitting percentage and three service aces for good measure as the Skyhawks (9-10 overall) are now tied with Tennessee Tech atop the Ohio Valley Conference standings at 5-1.
Zoe Merriweather put down a career-high 13 kills on a .303 attack percentage, adding five rejections for a UT Martin defense that turned away 17 total blocks. Baillie Kearns snared a team-best 15 digs for her 15th double-digit performance in that category in 2021.
Addy Vaughn (22 assists) and Haeleigh Paulino (20 assists) kept the offense running efficiently as the Skyhawks hit .208 for the evening. UT Martin additionally landed nine service aces tonight, led by four out of Paulino. Francela Ulate (eight kills, .333 hitting percentage, season-high six blocks) also provided a lift off the bench for the Skyhawks as tonight marked the first five-match winning streak for UT Martin since six straight victories from Sept. 30 through Oct. 14, 2011.
The Skyhawks stormed out of the gates, scoring the first six points of the match as Logan Wallick had a kill and a pair of block assists during that stretch. The Racers (8-7, 2-3 OVC) went on a 10-4 run to even the score at 11-all but UT Martin answered right back to nab a 15-12 advantage. The Skyhawk lead remained at three at 17-14 but Murray State concluded the set on an 11-3 run to take the early momentum. Scanlon (four kills) and Kearns (five digs) topped UT Martin in the opening set.
The second stanza featured 13 ties and four lead changes but the Skyhawk offense fired on all cylinders – hitting .500 with zero errors (against 18 kills) in 36 swings. Merriweather slammed down three straight kills at one point early, aiding UT Martin to a 9-7 lead. Six ties followed before the Racers managed to go on top by a 20-18 margin. Coming out of a Skyhawk timeout, Addison Conley had back-to-back kills to ignite a 7-1 run which also included a trio of Merriweather kills and a pair of Scanlon service aces. Merriweather grinded out seven kills with no errors on 10 attempts in the second set.
UT Martin once again got off to a great start in the third set, jumping out to an 11-2 lead which included a pair of service aces from Kearns. Murray State trimmed its deficit down to four (18-14) but Scanlon’s fourth kill of the set helped the Skyhawks push their advantage back out to seven points at 22-15. Wallick was responsible for the final two points of the set as she hammered down a pair of kills to put UT Martin ahead 2-1 in the match. Merriweather came away with four blocks in the third set alone.
With their backs against the wall, the Racers forced a fifth set following a complete effort in the fourth stanza. Murray State led 8-2 but the Skyhawks soon pieced together a 5-2 run that pulled UT Martin within five points midway through the set. Wallick did her best to keep the Skyhawks within striking distance with a pair of late kills but ultimately the Racers accounted for five of the final six points. Scanlon had three kills and two blocks for UT Martin in the fourth set.
A 6-0 Skyhawk run proved to be a huge boost in the decisive fifth set as UT Martin managed four blocks during that surge. Scanlon (one solo block, three block assists) and Ulate (three block assists) formed a wall at the net for the Skyhawks as they took a 7-1 advantage. After Murray State closed the gap to three points at 11-8, UT Martin reeled off four unanswered points, including two service aces from Paulino. The stingy Skyhawk defense limited the Racers to a -.125 attack percentage (three kills, five errors) in 16 swings in the final stanza.
Brooke Lynn Watts led Murray State with 20 kills to go with 10 digs. Alexa Harris added 13 kills and 10 digs. Becca Fernandez led the Racers with 24 digs.
These two squads face a tight turnaround as UT Martin and Murray State collide tomorrow at 11 a.m. in Skyhawk Fieldhouse.