THURSDAY'S SCORE
@Morehead State 3, Tennessee Tech 1
MOREHEAD STATE 3, TENNESSEE TECH 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State fought off a determined Tennessee Tech comeback effort and claimed a 3-1 victory (25-19, 25-19, 20-25, 25-23) Thursday night in their Ohio Valley Conference series opener in Johnson Arena.
Morehead State (12-5, 6-0 OVC) was led by senior M.E. Hargan with 11 kills and a career-high eight blocks. She notched four block solos, which was also a career high. Junior Hollan Everett added 10 kills for the Eagles.
Tennessee Tech (7-12, 4-3 OVC) was led by Alayna Pierce and Bella Powell with 11 kills apiece.
Morehead State used a four-point run to take an early 4-1 lead in the first set. A pair of three-point runs closed out the set as the Eagles slugged a .429 attack percentage to overcome Tech.
The Eagles began the second set with a hot attack as well but cooled off to hit .250 in the frame but held Tennessee Tech to a .000 hitting percentage. The Eagles recorded four blocks in the frame, led by Hargan's two block solos.
Tech got an early 3-point run to grab an early 3-1 in the third set. They added a four-point run to go ahead 10-6. Morehead State later responded with a four-point run to take a 14-13 lead. The second set featured 11 ties and five lead changes, the last when Tech, down 19-20, ran off six straight points to win the frame and force a fourth stanza.
The Golden Eagles again used an early run to grab the early 4-1 lead in the fourth set and led deep into the set. Morehead State, down 12-16, outscored Tech 5-1 for the first tie of the set since 1-1. The Eagles then got a four-point run, highlighted by two straight points with blocks by Hargan and Bailey Brashear, to take a 22-19. Tech rallied to tie the score at 23-23, before MSU closed the set out with their fourth block of the set, this one by Hargan and Amelia Nott.