MIDWAY, Ky. -- Following a road trip to Ohio and West Virginia over the weekend, the Midway women's volleyball team returned to Marshall Gymnasium on Tuesday night when they hosted IU East (Ind.) in a River States Conference West Division showdown.

The Eagles dropped the opening two sets but battled back and won the third to force a fourth frame. Unfortunately for the home team, their rally came up short as the Red Wolves held on for the 3-1 victory (25-23, 25-20, 16-25, 25-23).

With the loss, Jonea Rima's club sees their three-match win streak come to an end as they fall to 8-2 overall and 4-2 in league play, while IU East improves to 15-4 overall and 5-2 in RSC play.

The Eagles held a 22-20 lead in the opening frame, but the Red Wolves responded and closed the set on a 5-1 run to take on the opening frame 25-23. IU East then dominated the second stanza from the opening serve as they took a 2-0 lead with a 25-20 win in the second set.

Midway finally bounced back and got on the board in the third frame. They held a slim lead in the early going, but really got it going when Anju Sugiya (Tokyo, Japan) got behind the service line. She served the Eagles to a 6-0 run as they cut the deficit to 2-1 with a 25-16 win.

IU East began to run away in the fourth set, but Midway battled back. The Eagles trailed 19-11 before getting into a rhythm going on a 10-1 run to take a 21-20 lead. The Red Wolves answered by closing the set on a 5-2 run to secure the 3-1 victory with the 25-23 win.

Midway's offense was led by Aubry Koester (Apple Valley, Calif.) who put down 18 kills, while Sugiya added another double-double with 11 kills and 13 digs. The sophomore also served a match-high five aces in the loss.

Pilar Daugherty (Las Cruces, N.M.) also notched a double-double with 21 assists and 11 digs, while Valerie Ramos (San Juan, Puerto Rico) added 12 assists. Mariana Rodriguez (Houston, Texas) led the defensive effort with 17 digs and Kylie Kohrs (Fort Thomas, Ky.) chipped in seven.

The Eagles are scheduled to return to action on Thursday (Oct. 6) when they travel to Wilmore, Ky. to battle Asbury (Ky.) at 7 p.m. ET.

Follow Midway Eagles Athletics