MIDWAY, Ky. - The seemingly Herculean task of securing a spot in the River States Conference Tournament got slightly easier for the Midway volleyball team as it prepares to close the regular season Friday.

Valerie Ramos dished out 45 assists, Emily Slaughter and Aubry Koester each had 17 kills and the Eagles postseason hopes were kept alive with a thrilling 21-25, 25-23, 26-24, 23-25, 15-8 win over St. Mary of the Woods, the No. 3 team in the River States standings Thursday.

Momentum was very difficult to hold onto all night. The losing team held a lead of at least three points in each of the first four sets, with the victor coming back from five down in the first, third and fourth.

But Midway, which rallied after falling in a 5-0 hole in set three only to squander an early 9-4 advantage up a set in the fourth, took care of business in the fifth. After pulling ahead 2-1 on a service error, the Eagles never trailed again, clinching the victory when Anju Sugiya recorded her match-best fifth service ace.

Midway also got 11 kills from Hannah Brink and double-digit digs from Koester (16), Kylie Kohrs (16), Sugiya (13) and Slaughter (11).

The Eagles now enter their regular season finale having greatly boosted their chances at securing one of the eight spots in the River States playoffs, which are determined by a difficult-to-decipher point system.

The Eagles enter Friday with 2.944 points, behind the likes of Shawnee State (3.706), Indiana Southeast (3.559) and just ahead of Ohio Christian (2.833).

But with Thursday's win against a team that came in 14-4 in conference play, the Eagles earned the second-most point-lucrative win a team can have, a home win over an opponent with a winning percentage of .750 or better in league play. 

The only win more lucrative is beating a .750-or-better opponent on the road.

Though the task is a tall one, the Eagles have a chance to earn a win equally impressive by the points model in their season finale. Friday brings about a home matchup with IU Kokomo, the 14th-ranked team in the country which has won 23 consecutive games against RSC opponents dating back to last season.

The Cougars have lost just three RSC sets all season and none since Oct. 3.

Friday's match will begin at 7 p.m. at Marshall Gymnasium.

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