MIDWAY, Ky. — The Midway University women's volleyball team dropped both matches of its home tri-match Saturday afternoon at Marshall Gymnasium, falling to Indiana University Kokomo and Lindsey Wilson College.
The Eagles opened the day with a 3-0 loss to River States Conference (RSC) opponent IU Kokomo before taking the opening set against Lindsey Wilson in the final match of the afternoon. However, the Blue Raiders responded by winning three consecutive sets to secure a 3-1 victory.
IU Kokomo also defeated Lindsey Wilson 3-1 in the neutral-site matchup between Midway's two opponents.
With the losses, Midway falls to 5-18 overall and 2-5 in RSC play.
MIDWAY VS. IU KOKOMO
The Eagles opened Saturday's tri-match against IU Kokomo, falling in straight sets by scores of 25-16, 25-19 and 25-17.
Midway struggled to establish offensive consistency against the Cougars, who entered the contest among the top teams in the RSC standings.
IU Kokomo recorded 45 kills while hitting .283 as a team, compared to Midway's 22 kills and .020 hitting percentage.
The Eagles recorded nine kills in the opening set but committed seven attacking errors as the Cougars took a 25-16 victory.
Midway showed improvement in the second set, but IU Kokomo continued its offensive success, recording 15 kills and hitting .314 to secure a 25-19 win.
The Cougars maintained their momentum in the third set, recording another 15 kills to close out the match with a 25-17 victory.
Allie McClanahan led the Eagles offensively with six kills, while Alyssa Medeiros and Mayson Delong added four apiece.
Mayme Powell directed the Midway offense with eight assists, while Peyton Osteen contributed seven.
Marlee Laycock led the defensive effort with nine digs and recorded a team-high three service aces. Blair Riney added seven digs, while Aubry Kamholz contributed five digs and two service aces.
Midway finished with seven service aces, matching IU Kokomo's total despite the loss.
For the Cougars, Mia Niekamp and Cali Cummings led the offense with 11 kills apiece. Cummings hit .529, recording just two attacking errors on 17 attempts.
Gracelynn Olson added 25 assists, while Avery Littrell led IU Kokomo with 12 digs.
IU KOKOMO VS. LINDSEY WILSON
In the neutral-site matchup between Midway's two opponents, IU Kokomo defeated Lindsey Wilson 3-1 to complete a perfect 2-0 day.
The Blue Raiders claimed a tightly contested opening set, 26-24, before the Cougars responded with a 26-24 victory of their own in the second.
IU Kokomo took control in the final two sets, winning 25-16 and 25-15 to secure the victory.
Mya Grigsby led the Cougars with a match-high 19 kills and 14 digs. Cali Cummings added nine kills and eight blocks, while Gracelynn Olson recorded 23 assists.
Gabi Zuquelo led Lindsey Wilson with 13 kills and 12 digs, while Luisina Sandrone Tais contributed nine kills and 12 digs.
IU Kokomo finished the match with 51 kills and 10 team blocks, while Lindsey Wilson recorded 39 kills and nine blocks.
The Cougars finished the tri-match with a 17-6 overall record and a 7-1 mark in RSC play, while Lindsey Wilson moved to 14-14 overall.
MIDWAY VS. LINDSEY WILSON
The Eagles returned to the court for the final match of the afternoon against Lindsey Wilson, falling in four sets by scores of 25-21, 20-25, 16-25 and 13-25.
Midway opened the match with a strong defensive effort, limiting Lindsey Wilson to a .000 hitting percentage in the first set.
The Blue Raiders recorded nine kills and nine attacking errors, allowing the Eagles to capitalize and claim a 25-21 victory.
Midway continued battling in the second set, recording 10 kills while hitting .152. However, Lindsey Wilson responded with 12 kills and a .214 hitting percentage to even the match with a 25-20 victory.
The Blue Raiders took control in the third set, hitting .310 with 12 kills and just three attacking errors. Midway recorded 11 kills but committed nine errors as Lindsey Wilson earned a 25-16 win.
In the fourth set, the Eagles struggled offensively, recording five kills and 11 attacking errors. Lindsey Wilson capitalized, hitting .280 to close out the match with a 25-13 victory.
McClanahan and Delong shared the team lead with 10 kills apiece. Nyla Gaines and Lanei Cornelius followed with six kills each.
Powell led the offense with 19 assists, while Osteen added 12 assists and 11 digs.
Laycock led Midway defensively with 12 digs, while Kamholz finished with seven digs and a team-high three service aces.
The Eagles recorded 36 kills, 33 assists, five service aces and 45 digs in the loss.
Lindsey Wilson finished with 44 kills and a .190 hitting percentage, compared to Midway's .029.
Tessa Kilchenmann led the Blue Raiders with nine kills, hitting .500 on 14 attempts. Duda Becho and Dreu Patterson followed with eight kills apiece.
Addison Janes recorded 21 assists, while Kennedy Moone and Brooke Robinson shared the team lead with 14 digs each.
UP NEXT
Midway will hit the road on Tuesday, Oct. 13, when the Eagles travel to face Alice Lloyd College.
About Midway University Athletics
Midway University competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and its 29 athletic teams are part of the River States Conference, Mid-South Conference, Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association and USA Archery. For more information about Midway University Athletics, please visit www.gomidwayeagles.com or contact Tyler Beck at 859-846-5366.
