RIO GRANDE, Ohio -- The Midway University volleyball team returned to River States Conference play on Friday night when they traveled to Rio Grande, Ohio to battle the University of Rio Grande RedStorm.
The Eagles (6-17, 3-5 RSC) were able to squeak out a 26-24 win in the opening set, but the RedStorm (6-16, 2-6 RSC) leveled the match with a 25-16 victory in the second frame.
After a dismal second set, Jonea Rima's scrappy bunch fought off a late deficit and two set points for a 29-27 win in the third set to take the pivotal 2-1 edge. The fourth set was close in the beginning, but Midway would cruise to a 25-18 win the set and a 3-1 victory in the match.
Midway didn't have their best offensive outing, but they were good enough to get the win. They finished the match hitting .162 with 45 kills, while their defense held the RedStorm to a .129 hitting clip and 46 kills. The Eagles did hold a 10-4 advantage in service aces.
The RedStorm took control of the first set with a 7-0 run to turn a 6-4 deficit into an 11-6 edge, but Midway battled back with a 12-4 run of their own to regain an 18-15 advantage. Rio Grande regained a 23-21 lead, but the visitors closed the set on a 5-1 spurt to claim the set 26-24.
After a not so good second set, Midway got back on track in the third frame. A back-and-forth battle throughout led the RedStorm to a 22-19 advantage, but the Eagles wouldn't go away. They fought back from that deficit and eventually fought off two Rio Grande set points as they came away with the 29-27 win for a two sets to one lead.
The fourth and final set was close in the beginning, but Midway ran away late in the set. Holding an 8-7 lead, the Eagles went on a 6-0 run to build a comfortable 14-7 lead. The RedStorm cut the lead back down to four, but the visitors held on to win the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.
Leading the way on offense for the Eagles was the duo of senior, Kylie Flatt and freshman, Gracee Murphy (Paducah, Ky.). The two collected 14 kills apiece, while Flatt had a .204 hitting percentage and Murphy tallied a .158 attacking clip.
Also turning in a good all-around game was freshman, Madi Eberst (Chillicothe, Ohio) and senior, Ashley Sherrard (Louisville, Ky.). Eberst finished with 23 assists, 14 digs and nine kills to go with a .269 hitting clip, while Sherrard had a double-double with 22 assists and 11 digs.
Defensively, as has been the case this season, Ashlee Simpson (Somerset, Ky.). The defending RSC Defender of the Week finished with a team-high 20 digs in the win. Senior, Hannah Payne also turned in a solid outing on defense with 11 kills.
The Eagles will have a quick turnaround as they are back in action on Saturday when they travel to West Virginia Tech at 12 p.m. ET in Beckley.
Follow Midway Eagles Athletics
