Ohio Valley Conference

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - After suffering a Friday night loss, the Panthers dropped game two of the three-match weekend against Montana 3-1. EIU drops to 5-2, while Montana improves to 6-2. Eastern Illinois has one match remaining later this afternoon to wrap up the weekend. 

Each set was even throughout, with set one being won by Montana 25-22. The match began with a 10-6 Montana lead before EIU came storming back to even it out at 10 apiece. With both teams taking turns scoring, the Grizzlies used a kill by Sydney Pierce to avoid any potential EIU comeback. Similar to the prior match, the Panthers bounce back after a set one loss to even the series at 1-1. With EIU taking an early 14-9 lead, Montana, similarly to EIU in set one, stormed back with a long scoring output led by Mylee Blake. Both Montana and EIU, unable to create separation, prolonged the set until a kill and service point by Destiny Walker gave the Panthers the edge in a high-scoring affair, 29-27. Unfortunately, Eastern Illinois ran out of gas, dropping the next two sets, in which set three was also an extended contest with the Grizzlies closing the game out 28-26. In the final set, Tori Mohesky served a charged 6-0 scoring run, including a service ace recorded by Mohesky. After trailing 18-13, the Grizzlies would claw their way back to take a 3-1 match victory.

Emma Schroeder led the match with 5 blocks, and Ariadna Pereles led the match in total digs with 31.

After a rough start to the weekend in Terre Haute, the Panthers close out a three-match series on a high note. EIU moves to 6-2, while Butler falls to 4-5.

EIU dropped the first two matches this weekend; however, game three was a different story. The Panthers came out red hot with an early 8-4 lead. Using a 6-0 scoring run, EIU bolstered their lead to 18-10. With the first set in their hands, the Panthers held off a late comeback attempt by the Bulldogs to win 25-21. Eastern recorded 11 kills, 11 assists, and 22 digs.

The first set was all EIU; the next one was a little tighter in competition. The Bulldogs would have the lead for the majority of the set until EIU came rolling back, tying it up at 22 apiece. After back-to-back kills by Butler, the Panthers needed a timeout. Unfortunately, the timeout was not enough, as the Bulldogs outlasted EIU 25-22. The Panthers totaled 10 kills, 10 assists, and 11 digs.

With the series tied 1-1, the Panthers and Butler took turns holding a lead through the set. There were 12 ties and 6 lead changes in the third set. Butler tried to pull away, holding a 21-20 lead off of a kill by Alaleh Tolliver, but then it was all EIU the rest of the way. The Panthers scored five unanswered with a kill by Katie Kopshever to close the third set. Eastern Illinois totaled 15 kills, 14 assists, and 18 digs. 

As expected, with EIU looking to close out the match, Butler provided resistance. Both teams used long scoring runs of their own, unable to pull away from one another. Eastern Illinois was forced to call a timeout after trailing 15-13, which caused a mini 3-0 scoring run to tie the match at 16-16. Panthers would go on to race past the Bulldogs, forcing Butler to call multiple timeouts. Those timeouts were not enough, and Eastern Illinois won the final game of their three-match weekend.

With the win came multiple game leaders in the box score. First, Catalina Rochaix had a hitting percentage of .600 and 39 assists. Once again, Ariadna Pereles led the match with 21 digs.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE 3, SOUTHERN INDIANA 1
OXFORD, Ohio - University of Southern Indiana volleyball finishes its weekend at the Miami/Best Western Invitational with a loss to Middle Tennessee State University, falling to 2-8 for the season.

USI came in strong against the Blue Raiders, getting a seven-point lead to start. MTSU fought its way back to make it a back-and-forth battle to the end of the game, ending in extra points. Junior Ashby Willis added six kills to the board, followed by senior Bianca Anderson with four.

Sophomore Kerigan Fehr got the second set started with back-to-back aces. The Eagles maintained the lead through the entire set. Freshman Ava Carpenter took the court for her USI debut late in the set, tallying one kill for the Eagles. The USI defense played a big part in the second set win, with four team blocks at the net, and 21 digs in the back court.

Anderson was the top producer on the court in the third set, tallying five kills on seven attempts for a .714 hitting percentage. Setter Aysa Thomas led in the back court with five digs, getting her to a third double-double of the weekend.

Carpenter found her groove in the fourth set, with six of her swings finding the court. Libero Audrey Small kept the defense alive with eight digs. The Screaming Eagles fought hard to keep the lead, with eight tie scores and three lead changes in the final set.

For the game, Fehr finished with five aces, marking a career-high and an individual season high for the team. Carpenter recorded eight kills and two digs in her first college game. Anderson grabbed 12 kills for the third game in a row.

Willis and Thomas had double-doubles in each of the three games the Eagles competed in at the Best Western Invitational. Willis tallied 57 kills and 37 digs, and Thomas had 114 assists and 37 digs for the weekend.

UAB 3, WESTERN ILLINOIS 1
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Western Illinois volleyball put together an impressive opening set but ultimately fell to UAB on Saturday morning at the Meeks Family Fieldhouse. The Leathernecks came out firing to take the first set, before UAB rallied to claim the match. The Leathernecks continue their season with a record of 1-8.

The Leathernecks set the tone early with a 4-0 run on the serve of Jaleah Bauss, who recorded both an ace and an assist. Audrey Pender and Kennedy Adair added kills, while Keyana Cruse powered the attack with multiple points in the frame. Western Illinois dominated offensively, hitting .565 with 15 kills, and took control to win 25-18.

In the second set, Western Illinois kept the pressure on. Cruse and Adair combined for early kills to help WIU build a lead, and Elizabeth Ziegler and Grace Kremer added strong blocks at the net. The set featured six ties and three lead changes, with the Leathernecks trailing narrowly at 21-22 late. Despite a late push, UAB led on back-to-back kills to edge out the 25-22 win and even the match.

The momentum shifted in the third frame as UAB's block and serving game made the difference. Despite nine kills from the Leathernecks, errors mounted, the Blazers used a mid-set run to pull away. Cruse and Ziegler continued to contribute offensively, but WIU dropped the set 25-14

Western Illinois fought hard to extend the match, with Pender and Kremer combining for blocks and Martyna Sowiak adding a kill to spark energy off the bench. Madelyn Norton and Karlie Lane kept the offense flowing with steady setting, and Cruse added a late kill to cut the deficit. However, UAB's serving run down the stretch sealed the set 25-18 and the match.

UT MARTIN 3, LAMAR 2
MEMPHIS 3, UT MARTIN 1
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Martin volleyball squad soared to its first victory of the young 2025 campaign today, downing Lamar in five sets (25-18, 19-25, 25-22, 25-27, 16-14) at the Carrie Yerty Classic. The Skyhawks played their second of back-to-back matches later on in the afternoon, claiming the first set before falling 3-1 to tournament host Memphis (25-15, 12-25, 18-25, 18-25).

Abby Freund paced UT Martin defensively today with a whopping 48 digs (5.33 per set) in the two matches. Carly Mueller also stood out for the Skyhawk defense with nine blocks (1.00 per set) – including a career-best seven swats in the day's finale against Memphis.

On the offensive side, Ava Peters handed out a career-high 52 of her 71 assists on the day in the victory over Lamar as her 52 assists were the most for any UT Martin player since March 29, 2021. Kristin Phillips smoked a career-best 15 of her team-high 22 kills on the day in the win against Lamar while Kylie Surratt followed just behind with 21 kills today. Kayla Bryant added seven service aces on the day for the Skyhawks (1-7).

Following today's matches, Freund and Peters were selected to the Carrie Yerty Classic All-Tournament squad. Freund tallied 72 digs (5.54 per set) with 11 assists over the weekend while Peters divvied out 117 assists (9.75 per set) with 11 kills in the three matches for UT Martin.

The Skyhawks close out nonconference play next weekend, traveling to Macon, Ga. for the Mercer Invitational. UT Martin will take on North Dakota and West Georgia on Friday, Sept. 19 before squaring off against Mercer on Saturday, Sept. 20.

The Skyhawks came out on top in a five-set thriller that included 29 tie scores and 14 lead changes.

Sienna Wnetrzak had three kills in a four-point span early in the opening set as UT Martin jumped out to a 15-8 lead. Two straight kills by Phillips helped the Skyhawks open up a 19-10 advantage before the Cardinals closed to within five points at 22-17. UT Martin bounced right back to take a 1-0 lead after a Surratt kill on set point. Phillips had five kills on a .375 hitting percentage while Peters dished out 12 assists for an offense that hit .324 in 37 swings.

Peters had two kills and a service ace early in the second stanza to give the Skyhawks a 5-4 edge. Lamar (4-7) used a run to eventually go ahead by a 19-12 margin but UT Martin bounced back to pull within striking distance after a Mueller kill made the score 22-19. However, the Cardinals scored three unanswered points to even the match at 1-all. Mueller led the way with four kills while Freund came away with eight scoops in the second set alone.

The Skyhawks overcame a 6-2 deficit in the third set to take a 2-1 advantage in the match. A block assist from Surratt and Phillips gave UT Martin its first lead of the set (11-10) as the Skyhawks seized control from there. Maddy Gladson landed back-to-back kills to extend UT Martin's advantage to 19-14 as the Skyhawks ended the set with four of the last five points. Gladson was responsible for five kills on a .500 attack percentage as Freund accumulated seven digs in the middle set.

Lamar took a 7-3 advantage in the fourth set, which included nine ties and four lead changes. After UT Martin trailed 16-9, Chyler Martin went on a tear with three consecutive kills to ignite a Skyhawk rally. Eventually, UT Martin battled all the way back for a 21-20 lead before five ties followed for the remainder of the set. The Cardinals staved off set point with kills from Dylan Sulcer and Phillips but Lamar forced a fifth set. Martin had four kills in five attempts as the Skyhawks had 17 kills in the fourth set.

Surratt slammed down back-to-back kills midway through the final set – propelling UT Martin to its first lead at 9-8. Following a Mueller kill that gave the Skyhawks an 11-9 edge, four more ties followed in an intense back-and-forth duel. UT Martin fought off match point at 14-13 to rally for the win as kills from Bryant, Gladson and Phillips closed out the victory. Surratt and Mueller each had four kills while Peters (11 assists) and Freund (11 digs) had phenomenal efforts in the shortened fifth set.

The Skyhawks carried over the momentum from their first match into the opening set but the host Tigers (7-2) mounted a comeback victory in the second of back-to-back outings for UT Martin.

Five ties and two lead changes took place in the early stages of the first set before the Skyhawks opened up a commanding run en route to the win. Memphis led 8-6 but UT Martin answered with an extended surge. Bryant dialed up three service aces in a stretch of six points as the Skyhawks went on a 10-1 run. An assisted block from Mueller and Gladson resulted in a double-digit UT Martin advantage (22-12) on the way to the win. Surratt (four kills on a .444 attack percentage) and Mueller (four blocks) helped the Skyhawks get off to a good start.

The Tigers took an early lead in the second set to tie up the match at 1-all. Bryant had a pair of kills through UT Martin's first four points but Memphis proved to be too much, turning a 16-4 start into a 25-12 win. Freund had five of the Skyhawks' 13 digs in the second stanza.

Phillips got UT Martin on the scoreboard with back-to-back kills in the third set, leading to a 5-1 Skyhawk advantage. The Tigers took a brief lead before a solo Phillips block tied the score at 11-11. Memphis reclaimed the advantage before a Gladson rally killer made the tally 18-16 and put UT Martin in position for a comeback. However, the Tigers scored seven of the final nine points of the set. Phillips (four kills, .333 hitting percentage) shined offensively while Freund had six digs in the third stanza.

Memphis scored five of the first six points in the fourth set. Surratt had two kills in a three-point stretch to temporarily cool off the Tiger momentum but Memphis went on a 6-1 run afterwards. An assisted block from Ella McFarland and Mueller willed the Skyhawks back within two points at 18-16 but ultimately that was as close as UT Martin would get the rest of the way despite a valiant effort. Surratt and Peters guided the Skyhawks with three kills and seven assists, respectively.

SIUE 3, SEATTLE 2
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE volleyball capped off their Cougar Classic with a  five-set win against Seattle (20-25,25-12,25-18,22-25,15-13).
 
The Cougars improve to 5-4 on their season and Seattle falls to 6-3.
 
SIUE out-hit Seattle .244 to .113, finishing with 64 kills, 11 blocks, 59 assists and 78 digs. Seattle managed 47 kills, 12 blocks, 41 assists and 58 digs.
 
Kyndia Smith led the Cougars with her third straight game of having 19 kills, hitting at .485 percent. Sophie Robinson and Bree Schreimann had 10 kills each.
 
 Paige Bernstein led the Cougars with 26 assists and was followed by Ally Hughes who had 20. Robinson anchored the defense with 19 digs, followed by Olivia Hogan with 17.
 
Vienna Elliott made her presence known at the net with seven blocks.
 
The Redhawks were led by Adee Butler with 13 kills and Anae Asuncion with 17 assists.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 3, MURRAY STATE 0
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri State University (5-4) swept Murray State (2-7) in straight sets on Saturday at Houck Field House, winning 25-19, 25-13, 25-15 with a match-high 10 service aces.

Southeast Mo. St. opened the set with a kill from Marin Johnson, contributing to an early lead. Nina Schuberth delivered two service aces, aiding Southeast Mo. St.'s advantage. Marin Johnson and Lucy Arndt each recorded multiple kills, solidifying Southeast Mo. St.'s offensive presence. Southeast Mo. St. capitalized on the Racers' attack errors to maintain their lead. The set concluded with a block by Kara Oxenknecht and Katherine St. John, sealing a 25-19 victory for Southeast Mo. St.

Southeast Mo. St. dominated with a 10-0 run to start the set, featuring three kills and two service aces. Katy St. John led Southeast Mo. St. with three kills during the set. Megan Holder provided consistent setting, contributing to multiple kills and a service ace. Southeast Mo. St. ended the set with a 25-13 victory, maintaining control throughout.

Southeast Mo. St. secured the set 25-15 to complete the sweep over the Racers. Lucy Arndt led Southeast Mo. St. with four kills in the set, contributing to the team's offensive success. Megan Holder provided key setups, assisting on multiple kills throughout the set. Southeast Mo. St. capitalized on service errors by the Racers, which included four points directly from opponent errors. Alandry Below's service ace was part of a late run that pushed Southeast Mo. St. to a decisive lead.

MOREHEAD STATE 3, EVANSVILLE 0
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Morehead State capped off their southern Indiana weekend with a hard-fought 3-0 sweep in arguably their most closely-contested match of the season against the Evansville Aces in the Meeks Family Fieldhouse in Evansville, Ind.

The match featured 22 ties and 10 lead changes over the three sets.  The final set scores were (25-17), (26-24), and (25-17) as the Eagles ran their winning streak to five matches.

Morehead State (6-3) was led by M.E. Hargan with 18 kills. Hollan Everett added 11 kills and hit a sparkling .368 attack percentage.

Evansville (4-6) was led by McKenzie Laubach with seven kills and a game-high tying five blocks.   

The opening set was tightly contested in the opening stages. When Evansville's Hinsley Everett tied it at 7-7, there had already been six ties and two lead changes. The Eagles went on a three-point run to go ahead 10-7. A five-point string put the Eagles up 16-9. Morehead State stretched the lead and closed out the set outscoring the Aces 4-1 to take the set 25-17.

The second set was close throughout. The score was tied a total of 11 times and there were five lead changes.  Evansville rallied late in the set with a four-point run to take the lead 24-22. The Eagles fought off two set points, tying the score with Hollan Everett's ninth kill of the match. The Eagles then closed out the set with a four-point run to win 26-24. MSU hit a sizzling .406 hitting percentage in the frame.

Morehead State got off to a quick start in the third set: after spotting the Aces the first point of the frame, the Eagles ran off seven straight points, powered by five kills by Hargan. The Aces were undeterred, running off an eight-point string highlighted by two blocks and a service ace to take an 11-10 lead. The Eagles broke through with a five-point run to take a 20-14 lead and cruised to the victory.

UT ARLINGTON 3, LITTLE ROCK 1
ARLINGTON, Texas - Little Rock finished 1-2 at the UNT-UTA Invitational, ending the weekend with a 3-1 loss to UT Arlington at the College Park Center by scores of 24-26, 25-19, 25-16, and 25-22.
 
Dariana Valencia led the Trojans (3-6) with 20 assists and added 14 digs. Andrea Roman contributed significantly on defense with 15 digs and also tallied four assists. Bella Cherry recorded 10 kills and added 13 digs, making a well-rounded impact on both offense and defense. Crismeyli Rodriguez matched Cherry with 10 kills, providing a solid offensive presence for the team.
 
Little Rock also split a pair of games yesterday, sweeping Northwestern State before falling to North Texas, finishing 1-2 during the two-day invitational.

SAMFORD 3, TENNESSEE TECH 2
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech won the first two sets and looked like it was going to break its losing streak, but the Samford Bulldogs had other plans as they won three straight sets to top the Golden Eagles in the deciding game five on Saturday night to conclude the 2025 Golden Eagle Invitational presented by Holiday Inn.

Tech (2-7) had career-high nights for three Golden Eagles in kills as Bella Powell collected 25, Audrey Berkebile had 14 and Jordan Karlen had eight to set new personal bests. Freshman Jordyn Milhouse also had eight kills to round out the Tech kill leaders.

Karlen had 45 assists, while MK Roberts had 22 receptions and 13 digs to earn her a spot on the all-tournament team.

A future conference matchup for Tech when it enters the Southern Conference next season, the Golden Eagles came out on fire, surging out to a 7-2 run in the opening set. Powell powered Tech in the stanza collecting eight kills and a .429 hitting percentage in the first game. 

As a team, the Golden Eagles hit .300 over the first set and were able to minimize errors. While Samford was able to battle back, Tech never trailed in the opening game to take a 25-20 win.

That effort continued in the second set as after a 3-3 tie, the Golden Eagles were able to build a seven-point advantage and held it to the end of the set, winning 25-18.

Samford started a comeback of its own in the third set, taking a 13-6 lead before a called timeout. The Golden Eagles responded, bringing a raucous Eblen Center crowd to its feet with a furious rally, cutting the deficit down to 18-14 before forcing the Bulldogs to call time. Samford edged back out, wrapping up the set 25-19.

The fourth set was a battle with 10 ties and five lead changes, but Samford emerged victorious 25-21, forcing the deciding fifth set. Berkebile had five kills on nine swings in the set, hitting .444, and was a key contributor defensively with five receptions and three digs.

Powell tried to put the Golden Eagles on her shoulders with four kills in the fifth set, but the Golden Eagles saw mistakes creep in at the hardest time with six attack errors, a set error, a service error and a reception error account for nine points in the race to 15. Tech kept pace, trailing 9-8, but the Bulldogs pulled away to take a 15-11 set win and the match.

Ally Cordes led Samford (4-4) with 22 kills with Kaleigh Meritt collecting 15. Setter Shea Bruntmyer had 42 assists. Cordes and Meritt both earned all-tournament honors. Wichita State, who completed action on Friday, had Jordan Heatherly, Sydney Dunning and Katie Galligan on the squad, while Radford collected Miranda Howard and Taryn Roberts.