OAKLAND CITY, Ind. -- After getting two important conference victories over the weekend, the Midway women's volleyball team stepped out of conference play on Tuesday night when they won their third straight contest with a sweep of Oakland City (Ind.).
The Eagles had their most efficient outing of the season in their last time out against Ohio Christian, but on Tuesday, they nearly topped it on their way to a 3-0 sweep (25-23, 25-22, 25-11) of the Mighty Oaks.
Midway – who improved the 12-11 overall on the season with the win – finished the night with 40 kills committing just eight miscues in 86 swings on their way to a .372 hitting clip.
Oakland City, meanwhile, had a tough time figuring out Midway's stout defense. The Mighty Oaks (2-11) carded just 22 kills and collected a .113 hitting percentage in the loss.
Leading the charge for Midway's efficient outing was the reigning River States Conference Volleyball Attacker of the Week, Alysha Tullar. The junior from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. followed up last week's performances with another efficient outing on Tuesday.
Tullar posted 20 kills against the Mighty Oaks committing just four errors in 37 swings for a .432 hitting percentage. She also added nine digs to her stat line.
The opening set was a back-and-forth battle that featured nine ties and neither team holding more than a two-point lead. Midway found some breathing room with a 7-2 run getting two kills from Brooke Trompler (Campton, Ky.) and another from Tori Richman (Fort Wayne, Ind.).
The Eagles went on to win the opening set 25-23 before carrying the momentum into the second stanza. A pair of 4-0 rallies saw Midway take an 18-12 lead before cruising to a 25-22 second set victory to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
The Mighty Oaks stayed close in the beginning of set No. 3, but the Eagles soon put the hammer down and ran away with it. Holding an 8-7 edge, Midway first went on a 5-0 run before closing the set on a 12-2 run to cruise to the 25-11 win to finish off the 3-0 sweep.
Chipping in on offense for the Eagles was Brooke Trompler who added eight kills to go with six digs. Aaliyha Bailey (Eminence, Ky.), meanwhile, added four kills in four swings, while Raegan Stevens (Ashland, Ky.) and Tori Richman posted three kills apiece.
Madi Eberst (Chillicothe, Ohio) ran the offense and continued her strong play as of late. The sophomore setter carded 33 assists and four digs to go with her three service aces. Ashlee Simpson (Somerset, Ky.), meanwhile, led the defensive effort with a match-high 15 digs.
The Eagles will now step back into River States Conference play on Thursday night when they travel to Cincinnati Christian (Ohio). Midway won the first meeting on Oct. 5 in a five-set thriller.
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