RICHMOND, Ind. — The Midway women's volleyball team continued River States Conference play Friday afternoon, falling in three sets to IU East inside Lingle Court.
The Red Wolves (9-9, 2-0 RSC) took the match 25-16, 25-20, 25-23, dropping Midway to 2-13 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
The opening set remained close early, with the teams battling to a 10-10 tie. IU East then began to create separation, eventually building a 20-13 advantage. Midway was unable to cut into the deficit as the Red Wolves closed out the opener 25-16. The Eagles struggled offensively in the set, recording seven kills against 10 errors on 34 attempts.
Midway came out strong in the second set. An Allie McClanahan kill helped the Eagles build an early 4-1 advantage before IU East answered and eventually moved in front 10-7. The Red Wolves stretched their lead to 17-11, but Midway continued to battle. Kills from Mayson Delong and Morgan Broderick helped the Eagles pull within 20-18 late in the frame. IU East responded, however, and took five of the final seven points to earn a 25-20 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Eagles put together their strongest push of the afternoon in the third. IU East held a 17-12 advantage before Midway began chipping away. A Mayme Powell service ace was part of the push before kills from Delong and McClanahan brought the Eagles within two at 20-18.
IU East eventually reached match point with a 24-19 advantage, but Midway refused to go quietly. Delong started a four-point run before Ava Benner added a kill and a Benner-Morgan Broderick block pulled the Eagles within one at 24-23. The Red Wolves finally ended the comeback attempt on an Oriana Smiley kill, taking the set 25-23 and completing the sweep.
Delong paced the Midway attack with nine kills while hitting .136. McClanahan followed with six kills, while Lanie Cornelius finished with four and hit a team-best .273 among Eagles with at least 10 attempts. Powell directed the offense with 21 assists and added nine digs, while Peyton Osteen contributed five assists and two service aces.
Defensively, Marlee Laycock led Midway with 13 digs, while Blair Riney added eight. Benner finished with two blocks as the Eagles recorded four as a team.
IU East finished with a 38-28 advantage in kills and hit .175 compared with Midway's .000. The defensive numbers were much closer, with the Red Wolves holding a narrow 51-50 edge in digs and a 5-4 advantage in blocks. Olivia Barber led IU East with eight kills while also recording 27 assists.
UP NEXT:
Midway returns home Tuesday, Sept. 22, when the Eagles welcome Alice Lloyd to Marshall Gymnasium. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
About Midway University Athletics
Midway University competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and its 29 athletics teams are part of the River States Conference, Mid-South Conference, the 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.
