BECKLEY, W.Va. — Midway picked up its first River States Conference victory in nearly two years as the Eagles defeated WVU Tech in four sets on Friday night at Van Meter Gym.
Midway (4-13, 1-2 RSC) earned the 25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 25-14 victory over the Golden Bears (0-17, 0-4 RSC). The win marked Midway's first conference victory since defeating Indiana Southeast in five sets on Oct. 25, 2024.
The Eagles finished with 59 kills and hit .198 for the match while holding WVU Tech to 36 kills and a .112 hitting percentage. Midway also recorded 55 assists and seven service aces, while both teams finished with 75 digs.
Midway took control late in the opening set. Holding a 16-15 advantage, the Eagles scored four of the next five points to build a 20-16 lead. WVU Tech pulled within two at 21-19, but Midway responded and eventually closed the set on a kill from Peyton Osteen for a 25-20 victory.
The Eagles jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the second set, but the Golden Bears battled back. The two sides were tied at 20 before WVU Tech scored four straight points to take a 24-20 lead. Midway fought off two set points before the Golden Bears finished the frame, 25-22, to even the match at one set apiece.
Midway answered in the third. The Eagles built an early 5-1 lead before eventually stretching their advantage to 12-4. WVU Tech battled back and pulled within four at 16-12, but Midway maintained control down the stretch. Alyssa Medeiros finished the set with a kill off an assist from Osteen, giving the Eagles a 25-20 win and a 2-1 match advantage.
The Eagles saved their best offensive performance for the fourth set, recording 15 kills with just one error on 30 attempts for a .467 hitting percentage. Midway used a 5-0 run to extend a 16-12 lead to 21-12, with Lanie Cornelius serving throughout the run. Aubry Kamholz eventually finished the match with a service ace to secure the 25-14 victory.
Allie McClanahan led the Midway attack with 14 kills while hitting .286. Medeiros and Ava Benner added 10 kills apiece, while Mayson Delong finished with seven kills and a team-high three blocks. Cornelius added six kills without an attack error, hitting .333 while recording two service aces.
Osteen turned in a career performance running the Midway offense. The sophomore recorded a career-high 25 assists to lead the Eagles, while Mayme Powell added 18 assists and eight digs. Marlee Laycock led the defensive effort with a match-high 20 digs, while Blair Riney and Kamholz added 12 digs apiece.
Midway will look to make it two straight conference victories when it travels to Rio Grande on Saturday.
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.
