Ohio Valley Conference

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Tennessee Tech opened the Kendall's Battle at the Capital Credit Union Classic on Thursday with a tough loss to Northern Iowa as the Panthers took the first three sets for the victory.

UNI (5-5) won 25-14, 25-17 and 25-13.

The Golden Eagles (2-8) return to action on Friday as they take on tournament host Green Bay at 6 p.m.

Audrey Berkebile led Tech in kills with eight, while Bella Powell collected seven. Jordan Karlen had 19 assists and MK Roberts had 11 digs with 25 receptions.

For the Panthers, Cassidy Hartman led the way with nine kills, while Maryn Bixby and Lily Dykstra each had eight kills, with Isabelle Elliott collecting seven. Reese Booth had 16 assists and Kate Shafer 14, while Jadyn Peterson had 11 digs. UNI blocked seven attacks to Tech's one.

UNI led the first set from the wire, jumping out to an 11-3 lead and extending the advantage out to 11 points at 21-10 and again at the final 25-14 margin.

The second set saw four ties as UNI started out with a 3-1 lead, but Tech roared back to tie the frame with a Karlen kill and a Tuva Falk service ace and took a 5-3 lead on a pair of Panther attack errors. The set was tied once more at 6-6 and 7-9, but UNI scored five straight points and didn't look back as Tech was able to close just within three late in the set before the Panthers took the 25-17 win.

The third set started nearly the same way with the Golden Eagles taking the first two points, but UNI outscored Tech 10-2 to take a 10-4 advantage and the Panthers' lead continued to climb all the way to a 12-point edge at the 25-13 clincher.

XAVIER 3, MOREHEAD STATE 1
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Morehead State battled a strong attack and service game from Xavier but ultimately fell 3-1 Thursday night in Johnson Arena.

Final scores were (22-25), (25-22), (18-25) and (21-25).

Morehead State (6-4) was led by senior M.E. Hargan who posted her 24th career double-double with 19 kills and 12 digs, both team highs. Sarah Heath finished with 10 kills.

Xavier (10-1) slammed nine aces, led by libero Kelsey Niesen with four, and out-hit MSU .236 to .197.

Xavier got off to a fast start using an eight-point run to take a 19-9 lead. The Eagles battled back, getting as close as 24-22, before losing the first set on the third set point.

Morehead State evened up the match in the second set. The Eagles used a three-point run to take the lead 14-11. MSU gradually extended their lead and clinched the set on the fourth set point.

Xavier used a relentless attack in the third frame, hitting .367 to just .200 for Morehead State in the set and won the set 25-18.

The fourth set was tight with nine ties and five lead changes. Xavier used a three-point to close out the match.

The Musketeers attack was led by Emma Grace with 17 kills and 15 digs. Charlotte Moriarty added a career-high 15 kills and added 13 digs.

SOUTHERN INDIANA 3, EVANSVILLE 1
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - In a four-set thriller, University of Southern Indiana volleyball takes down crosstown rival University of Evansville to win its third straight between the two schools.

The crosstown rivalry started in a back-and-forth fight between the Eagles and Aces, with 11 tie scores in the first set. Junior Ashby Willis led the court with six kills, followed by senior Bianca Anderson with four. The Screaming Eagles maintained a .371 hitting percentage in the first. In the back court, sophomore Audrey Small picked up six digs, followed by senior Keira Moore who had four.

The Screaming Eagles took the lead by the 12th point and maintained it for the rest of the second set. Willis landed six more kills, followed by Anderson and junior Leah Coleman with three each. Freshman Aysa Thomas connected on 11 assists, adding to her 13 from set one. Small had her best set, picking up seven digs.

The Aces started strong, making USI fight back from behind, with 13 tie scores for the third. Evansville took the final lead with two points left. Junior Leah Coleman had her most dominant set, putting down seven kills, while Willis found the court eight times.

USI played their best defense to finish out the match in the fourth. The Eagles had 25 team digs, with everyone on the court picking up at least one, led by Small with five. At the net, USI's defense put up four blocks, led by Anderson and Coleman, each with two. The offense put together the best hitting percentage of the match in the final set at .417, led by Thomas, who dished out 16 assists.

For the game, three Screaming Eagles finished in double-digit kills, Willis (24), Coleman (18), and Anderson (10). Willis and Coleman's kills earned them new career highs. Thomas led her offense to a season-high hitting percentage at .349, recording a career-high 53 assists. In the back court, the Eagles out-dug the Aces 72-63, led by libero Small, who finished with 19.

INDIANA STATE 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
NASHVILLE - The Tennessee State volleyball team put together strong performances from multiple players Thursday night in Kean Hall, but the Tigers came up short against Indiana State in three sets (25-14, 25-12, 25-18).

Carsyn Stansberry led the way offensively with a team-high seven kills, while Erini Bitsaktsi anchored the back row with nine digs. Sagaia Reilly guided the Tigers' attack with 20 assists, and Italya Carter added an ace to the stat sheet.

TSU continued to battle throughout the match, keeping the third set tight with eight ties before the Sycamores were able to pull away late.

WESTERN ILLINOIS 3, CHICAGO STATE 0
MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois volleyball protected its home court on Thursday night, sweeping Chicago State 3-0 inside Western Hall. The win moves WIU to 3-8 overall and showcased the Leathernecks' depth across the board.

The Leathernecks set the tone right away, jumping to a 7-1 lead thanks to kills from Kennedy Adair, Kiyah Franklin, and Keyana Cruse. Hillary Estes added a service ace during the early run, and WIU's block slowed down the Cougars at the net. Adair was a difference-maker, putting away five kills in the opener, while Cruse chipped in three. WIU's 15 total kills in the frame were too much for Chicago State, as the Leathernecks never trailed on their way to a 25-19 win.

WIU turned up the defensive intensity in the second set. Grace Kremer and Audrey Pender combined for multiple block touches, while libero Grace Ulatowski kept rallies alive with scrappy digs. Offensively, Cruse led the charge with five kills, and Norton sparked the team from the service line with an ace. Adair stayed consistent with three more kills, while Kremer was efficient in the middle, finishing with two kills on three swings. The Leathernecks closed the set on a run, pulling away 25-15 to take control of the match.

The third set was the tightest of the night, but Western Illinois' poise sealed the sweep. Cruse and Adair once again shouldered the offense, combining for nine kills in the frame. Kremer stepped up with back-to-back service aces, flipping the momentum back to WIU after the Cougars closed within one. On match point, setter Alysia Perez connected with Audrey Pender, who finished off the sweep with a kill.