MIDWAY, Ky. -- After not looking like themselves in their last couple of outings, the Midway University women's volleyball team returned to form on Friday night when they picked up a 3-1 victory over Rio Grande (Ohio) inside Marshall Gymnasium.
Slow starts have plagued the Eagles in their last few matches, but on Friday night they sprinted out to a two-sets-to-none lead before holding for the 3-1 victory (25-15, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25).
Not only did Midway slip away with the win, but sophomore libero, Ashlee Simpson, surpassed a milestone in the first set when she collected the 1,000th dig of her young career. Following her performance on Friday, the Somerset, Ky. native now has 1,013 digs for her career.
In their last three outings, the Midway offense had tallied just 7.7 kills per set, but that changed on Friday night when they averaged 13.5 kills per set. The Eagles – who improved to 9-9 overall and 2-4 in River States Conference play with the win – held a 54-35 edge in kills, while finishing with a .205 hitting clip and holding the RedStorm to a 0.053 attacking percentage.
The RedStorm – who fell to 13-6 overall and 3-3 in RSC play with the loss – scored the first point of the night, but Midway got into an offensive groove thanks to the duo of Alysha Tullar (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Brooke Trompler (Campton, Ky.).
Tullar and Trompler each collected three kills in the early going as the Eagles doubled the RedStorm up at 14-7. The two squads traded points until the home squad closed the frame on a 6-0 run en route to the 25-15 win in the opening set.
The Blue and Gold found themselves trailing 6-3 in the early going in set No. 2, but a 6-0 run saw them take a 9-6 lead after Trompler had three kills in the run. Rio Grande took an 18-17 lead after a 4-0 run, but the Eagles responded with a 5-1 spurt building a three-point cushion which led them to the 25-22 win taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
After they were unable to close out the match in the third stanza, Midway learned from their mistakes and bounced back in the fourth set. Trailing 22-18, Midway regrouped getting four consecutive kills from Tullar to pull within 23-22.
The home squad would have to fight off not one, but two set points before tying the set at 25 apiece. A ball handling error pushed Midway to a 26-25 lead, while a kill from Trompler sealed the 27-25 win in the fourth set and a 3-1 victory in the match.
Tullar and Trompler led the offensive attack with 24 and 20 kills respectively. Tullar added 11 digs and a .279 hitting clip, while Trompler chipped in eight digs to her stat line.
Madi Eberst (Chillicothe, Ohio) had a solid bounce back game with 46 assists and 14 digs – her 10th double-double of the season. After collecting her 1,000th dig in the first set, Ashlee Simpson finished the night with a team-high 15 digs in the win.
Jonea Rima's club will now have a quick turnaround as they host West Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon at noon ET inside Marshall Gymnasium. The Golden Bears are coming off a 3-0 loss to Asbury (Ky.) on Friday night.
Follow Midway Eagles Athletics
