MIDWAY, Ky. - Midway played a competitive first set but struggled to find consistency in its attack down the stretch, losing 25-22, 25-17, 25-18 in the River States Conference men's volleyball opener against Indiana East on Thursday.

The Eagles, who hit a season-best .370 in the first set, were in a back-and-forth battle that saw 10 ties and five lead changes.

Midway took a 20-19 lead on a Luke Wallace kill, only for the Red Wolves to answer by scoring four straight points to pull ahead 23-20.

Back-to-back Braden Cacek kills got the Eagles within 23-23, when a fortunate roll helped IUE put the set away. Off a pass from Brayden Richardson, a Jael De La Cruz kill attempt hit off two Midway defenders, rolled on top of the net, then spun back to the floor on the Eagles' side.

The Red Wolves carried that momentum into a 7-1 lead in set two.

The Eagles took an early lead and kept things competitive for awhile in set three, but a negative hitting percentage in the last two sets was too much to overcome. Midway had just 12 combined kills in sets two and three after recording 15 in the first.

JT Kimball and Cacek had eight and seven kills respectively, Noah Fichter had 15 assists and Lincoln Anderson made 13 digs for the 0-7 Eagles.

Before returning to RSC action, Midway will play a pair of matches against Kentucky State, starting with a 6 p.m. game in Frankfort on Tuesday, Feb. 10.