MIDWAY, Ky. — After picking up its first home victory of the season, the Midway University women's volleyball team returns to River States Conference play this weekend with a pair of road matches against WVU Tech and Rio Grande.
The Eagles open the weekend on Friday, Sept. 25, when they travel to Beckley, West Virginia, to face WVU Tech at 6 p.m. Midway then travels to Rio Grande, Ohio, for a 1 p.m. matchup with Rio Grande on Saturday, Sept. 26. Both contests are River States Conference matches.
Midway enters the weekend with a 3-13 overall record and an 0-2 mark in RSC play. The Eagles are coming off a 3-0 sweep of Alice Lloyd on Tuesday, winning by scores of 25-18, 25-23 and 25-22. The victory was Midway's first at Marshall Gymnasium this season.
Offensively, Midway has recorded 563 kills through its first 16 matches while averaging 10.05 kills per set. The Eagles have also tallied 528 assists, 90 service aces and 799 digs.
Allie McClanahan leads the Midway attack with 127 kills and averages 2.27 kills per set while hitting .185. Mayson Delong has added 103 kills and 24 total blocks, while Alyssa Medeiros has recorded 89 kills. In the middle, Morgan Broderick leads Midway with 26 total blocks.
The Eagles have split setting duties between Mayme Powell and Peyton Osteen. Powell leads the team with 259 assists and 20 service aces, while Osteen has dished out 191 assists. Defensively, Blair Riney has recorded a team-high 158 digs, while Marlee Laycock has added 136.
Scouting WVU Tech
WVU Tech enters Friday's contest searching for its first victory of the season. The Golden Bears are 0-16 overall and 0-3 in RSC play after dropping a 3-1 decision at Kentucky Christian in their most recent outing. WVU Tech won the second set of that match 26-24 before falling in four.
Aniston Treadway has paced the Golden Bears offensively with 117 kills and 2.21 kills per set. Maura O'Niell has added 53 kills, while Gabriela Lattu has totaled 49.
Addison White leads WVU Tech's setting efforts with 228 assists and an average of 4.30 assists per set. White has also recorded 132 digs and 13 service aces. Ivana Burgos leads the defensive effort with 202 digs, averaging 3.81 per set.
As a team, WVU Tech is averaging 7.70 kills and 7.02 assists per set while hitting .048. The Golden Bears average 14.72 digs and 0.91 blocks per set.
Friday will also give Midway an opportunity to end a short drought in the series. The Eagles are looking for their first victory over WVU Tech since 2024.
Scouting Rio Grande
Midway closes the weekend Saturday against a Rio Grande squad that enters the matchup with a 6-15 overall record and a 1-2 mark in conference play. The RedStorm have recorded 855 kills while averaging 11.25 kills per set and hitting .149 as a team.
Rio Grande features a balanced attack with five players having recorded at least 120 kills. Averie Bruce leads the RedStorm with 166 kills while hitting .279. Kelli Stewart has added 148 kills, while Gracie Perkins has totaled 132 and is hitting .263. Claire Newman and Taylor Bartrum have contributed 123 and 120 kills, respectively.
Lydia Steyer directs the Rio Grande offense and has recorded 524 assists while averaging 8.88 assists per set. Defensively, Nigella Reck leads the RedStorm with 294 digs and an average of 3.87 per set.
Rio Grande also presents a challenge at the net. Perkins has recorded a team-high 52 total blocks, while Bruce has 50. The RedStorm average 1.42 blocks per set as a team.
The Eagles will look to snap a three-match losing streak in the series against Rio Grande. Midway won six consecutive meetings against the RedStorm from 2018-22 but has not defeated Rio Grande since 2022.
Rio Grande is led by 19th-year head coach Billina Donaldson, who guided the RedStorm to the program's first national tournament appearance in 2025-26. Donaldson was an All-American during her playing career at Rio Grande and participated in the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Following this weekend's road trip, Midway returns home on Wednesday, Sept. 30, to host Cumberlands (Ky.) at 6:30 p.m. inside Marshall Gymnasium.
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, 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.
