MIDWAY, Ky. - Just one point from forcing a decisive fifth set, Midway couldn't finish off Rio Grande, which closed with a 9-2 scoring surge to top the Eagles 25-23, 26-24, 20-25, 28-26 in a highly competitive River States Conference women's volleyball matchup Saturday.

A fifth set seemed inevitable after a Valerie Ramos service ace gave Midway a 24-19 lead in the fourth. But following a timeout, the Red Storm managed to score six straight points, three of which came via Eagle attack errors, to go up 25-24.

Midway fought off a pair of match points, but the third proved to be decisive, as Rio clinched the win on a McKenna Diedrich kill.

Such rallies proved to be Midway's undoing all day.

A 7-0 Rio Grande run was the standout moment of a back-and forth opening set. The second was even more competitive with 12 ties and five lead changes, but Midway held a late 20-17 edge only for the Red Storm to again pull ahead with a late rally.

Midway used a big comeback of its own in its lone victory, battling back after the Red Storm scored the first six points and led by as much as 14-6.

Despite the loss, the Eagles hit season-high statistical marks in multiple categories.

Aubry Koester had 23 kills while Emily Slaughter had 16. No Midway player had more than 15 in a match entering Saturday.

Kylie Kohrs also tied for the most digs in a match this season with 21.

Midway falls to 8-10 overall, 2-8 in the RSC. The Eagles return to action Tuesday when they travel to face Alice Lloyd at 7 p.m.

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