RIO GRANDE, Ohio -- Following a non-conference victory over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.) on Tuesday, the Midway women's volleyball team returned to River States Conference play on Friday in the 'Buckeye State' when they battled the Rio Grande (Ohio) RedStorm.
The Eagles found themselves behind the eight ball early after dropping the first set, but they quickly regrouped winning the next three sets en route to the 3-1 victory (23-25, 25-20, 31-29, 25-19).
With the win, Midway improves to 12-3 overall and 8-2 in league play as they've now won four of their last five. Rio Grande, meanwhile, falls to 7-5 overall and 4-4 in conference play with the loss.
The Eagles had their best offensive performance in the first set where they hit .324 and held a late lead, but a string of errors plagued the visitors as the RedStorm struck first with a 25-23 win in the opening stanza.
The second frame was similar to the first as Midway seemed to be in control with a 20-15 lead, but the RedStorm battled back with a quick 5-0 run tying the set at 20. Whereas errors plagued the Eagles down the stretch in the first set, they finished strong in the second tying the match at one set apiece.
Alysha Tullar (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) kickstarted a 5-0 run with a kill and an ace, while Brooke Trompler (Campton, Ky.) and Raegan Stevens (Ashland, Ky.) put down back-to-back kills before a Rio Grande error handed Midway the 25-20 victory.
Midway found themselves in a bit of trouble in the third when they trailed 22-19., but they responded with a 4-0 run taking a 23-22 lead. They had two set points but failed to close as the RedStorm soon found themselves with two set points of their own.
With the set tied at 29 apiece, Tullar and Trompler put down back-to-back kills giving Midway the 31-29 win in the third set as they grabbed a two-sets-to-one lead in the match.
The Eagles carried the momentum from the third frame over into the fourth as they pulled away early and never looked back. Midway's largest lead came at 22-14 as they closed the door with back-to-back blocks sealing the 25-19 win in the set and the 3-1 victory overall.
Alysha Tullar and Brooke Trompler led the offensive attack as they each carded double-doubles in the win. Tullar carded 16 kills and 11 digs, while Trompler added 13 kills and 16 digs. Raegan Stevens, meanwhile, had an efficient night posting 11 kills in 18 swings for a .611 hitting clip. Kaylee Criswell (Rockdale, Texas) finished with eight kills to go with a .353 attacking percentage.
Mariana Rodriguez (Houston, Texas) led the defensive effort with a season-high 33 digs, while Annessa Roysdon (Monticello, Ky.) and Wilani Velazquez (Carolina, Puerto Rico) split time running the offense. Roysdon had 27 assists, while Velazquez just missed a double-double with 22 assists and nine digs in a winning effort.
Midway will now look to complete a perfect 3-0 week on Saturday when they take on West Virginia Tech at noon ET in Beckley, West Virginia.
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