BLUEFIELD, Va. - Midway had opportunities but failed to close in a pair of tight sets, ultimately being swept by Bluefield (Va.) in a 25-22, 25-18, 26-24 men's volleyball final Saturday.

The Eagles gave up five straight points after jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first set before battling back to tie it three times, the last of which coming on a Ram service error that made it 20-20.

But Mason Lloyd answered with a kill and service ace on back-to-back possessions to permanently swing the set in Bluefield's favor.

The second set looked as if it would go back-and-forth as well when Midway tied it 9-9 on a Steven Tippenhauer kill, only for Bluefield to close on a 16-9 scoring rally. The Rams proved very potent at the net, finishing the second set with a .522 hitting percentage.

The Eagles led by four on three separate occasions and even got to a 24-23 set point off a Martin Walker kill, but the Rams again made more plays down the stretch. Kills by Noah Clements and Colby Mutter were sandwiched around a Midway attack error to end the set and match.

Jai'Den Chinnis led Midway with nine kills. Daniel Cogo had 21 assists and Jose Conde 15 digs for the 0-3 Eagles, who travel to Terre Haute, Ind. for the Saint Mary of the Woods Tri Match next Saturday. They face Kentucky State at 2 p.m. and Saint Mary of the Woods at 4 p.m. 

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