LINDENWOOD 3, EASTERN ILLINOIS 0

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Lindenwood women's volleyball team (14-2, 4-0 OVC) won their ninth straight match with a 3-0 sweep over Eastern Illinois on Saturday afternoon inside Hyland Arena. Susanna Beretti led the charge offensively with 14 kills on a .444 hitting percentage, while Kylee Richey and Lauren Ortwerth each added nine kills.

Eastern Illinois jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead in the first set, but the Lions clawed their way back behind kills from Ashley Geluck, Autumn Bax, and Kaci Johnson. Johnson capped a 4-0 Lindenwood run with a service ace to even the set at 10-10 before Geluck and Ortwerth teamed up for a block to give the Lions their first lead of the set at 11-10. Later in the opening set, Beretti recorded a kill and a block while the Lions held a two-point lead, helping Lindenwood create some separation with an 18-13 advantage. The Lions closed out the set on a 6-2 run, highlighted by two more kills from Geluck, to take the opening frame 25-18.

In set two, the Panthers once again came out strong, grabbing an early 6-3 lead. Similar to the opening frame, Lindenwood fought back and eventually used a 6-0 run while trailing 11-10 to take control of the set. Autumn Bax and Beretti each recorded a kill and a block during the run, helping the Lions take a 15-11 lead. The two squads went back and forth during the later stages of the set, with the score eventually being tied at 21 with four points remaining. EIU briefly took a 23-22 lead, but Lindenwood responded with three straight points to close out the set. Geluck and Beretti combined for a block to even the score, before a Geluck service ace and a Beretti kill gave the Lions a 25-23 victory and a two-set lead.

The final set saw the two teams trade the first 12 points, with the score tied at six. The Lions' defense recorded two blocks, while kills from Geluck and Richey helped Lindenwood use a 5-0 run to take an 11-6 advantage almost midway through the set. The Panthers continued to battle and cut the deficit to two at 14-12, but Lindenwood responded with a match-changing 5-0 run to take a 19-12 lead, highlighted by three kills from Beretti. The Lions closed out the final frame with two big kills from Richey and one kill each from Geluck and Johnson to secure a 25-16 set three victory to complete Lindenwood's fourth straight OVC sweep.

Defensively, Dana Grib posted her second straight match with 14 digs and surpassed 1,000 digs for her collegiate career, while Ashley Geluck led the Lions at the net with four blocks. Kaci Johnson also recorded her sixth match of the season with 40 or more assists, finishing the contest against the Panthers with 43 assists.

MOREHEAD STATE 3, UT MARTIN 1
MARTIN, Tenn. - The Morehead State volleyball team secured a series sweep with a 3-1 victory (25-17, 25-18, 25-27, 25-27, 25-18) over UT Martin Saturday in Skyhawk Fieldhouse in Martin, Tennessee.
 
Senior outside hitter Hollan Everett led the Eagle attack setting new career highs with 24 kills on 57 attacks. She also posted a .316 hitting percentage. Everett also tied her career highs with six total blocks and five block assists.
 
Morehead State (6-8, 2-2 OVC) also got double-digit kills from freshman Ella Warrick and senior Amelia Nott. Warrick posted 14 terminations with a .258 attack efficiency. She also smacked her 19th service ace of the season.
 
Nott finished with 10 kills posting a .474 hitting percentage and set a new season high with four aces, giving her a team-leading 20 on the season. She also registered four blocks, running her total to 10 total blocks on the weekend.
 
UT Martin (6-9, 1-3 OVC) was led by Maddy Gladson and Sophie Diouf with 10 kills apiece. Gladson posted a .381 hitting percentage and added to block assists. Diouf hit .103 and added four total blocks, including one block solo.
 
In the first set, Morehead State got out to an early 6-2 lead and later ran off six straight points to take a 15-8 lead into the technical timeout. The Eagles never trailed or were tied in the opening frame. Everett led the Eagle attack with six kills in the set. MSU posted a .258 hitting percentage while holding UT Martin to a .000 hitting percentage.
 
The Eagles used a 6-1 run to take a 13-9 lead in the second set; UT Martin closed the lead to 13-11, but a 4-1 Morehead State run gained the Eagles separation and MSU closed out the set with a four-point run capped by Everett's 13th kill of the match. MSU hit a very efficient .500 hitting percentage in the set; UT Martin posted a .250 attack efficiency.
 
The third set featured multiple runs by both teams.  Morehead State used a 3-0 run to tie the score at 7-7, then ran off four straight points to take an 11-8 lead. After the Eagles posted another 3-0 run to extend their lead to 17-13, UT Martin fought back to tie the score at 17-17 with a four-point run of its own.
 
After another MSU three-point run to give the Eagles a 21-19 lead, UTM ran off four straight points to move ahead 23-21. The Eagles answered with a 3-0 run to get to match point at 24-23. The Skyhawks responded with a pair of points to get to set point at 25-24. After an Eagle point, UTM scored a pair of points to take the frame and force the fourth set.
 
In the final set, Morehead State got out to an early 6-1 lead and used a 3-0 run to extend its lead to 9-3. After MSU extended its lead to 22-12 with a 5-1 run, the Skyhawks got as close to 23-18 with a 6-1 run before Warrick clinched the match with two Warrick kills.

WESTERN ILLINOIS 3, TENNESSEE STATE 0
NASHVILLE - Tennessee State showed flashes on both sides of the ball Saturday afternoon, highlighted by a strong second-set offensive performance and balanced production across the lineup, before falling to Western Illinois in three sets (18-25, 23-25, 20-25) at Kean Hall.

The match featured 17 ties and eight lead changes, with the Tigers staying in the fight throughout the afternoon. Tennessee State's best offensive stretch came in the second set, when TSU totaled 17 kills and hit .350.

Gabrielle Washington led the Tigers with eight kills on 13 swings while hitting a team-best .385. Sydney Robinson also finished with eight kills, while Wiktoria Jakubik added seven. Triniti Jackson contributed six kills, 18 assists and eight digs in an all-around effort.

The opening frame was competitive from the start, with the teams working through seven ties and three lead changes.

Tennessee State stayed within reach for much of the set before Western Illinois created separation late to take the opener, 25-18. The Tigers totaled seven kills in the frame while continuing to battle defensively.

The Tigers responded with their strongest offensive set of the afternoon.

TSU put down 17 kills with only three attack errors on 40 swings, good for a .350 hitting percentage. The frame featured another seven ties and four lead changes, as neither side was able to create much separation.

Jackson helped distribute the offense while also providing production at the net, and Washington continued to give the Tigers an efficient option through the middle. Tennessee State stayed with Western Illinois deep into the frame before the Leathernecks narrowly escaped with a 25-23 win.

Tennessee State continued to battle in the third, with the set featuring three more ties and another lead change.

The Tigers recorded 10 kills in the frame and remained within striking distance as the set progressed. Western Illinois made the final push down the stretch to take the set 25-20 and close out the match.

Washington finished with eight kills, a .385 hitting percentage and two total blocks, accounting for a team-high 9.5 points. Robinson added eight kills, while Jakubik chipped in seven kills, four digs and a service ace.

Jackson filled the stat sheet with six kills, 18 assists and eight digs, while Italya Carter added nine assists and nine digs.

Jordan Imperial anchored the defense with a match-high 15 digs, helping Tennessee State finish with 48 as a team. The Tigers also recorded three service aces and four total blocks.