RIO GRANDE, Ohio — Midway closed its River States Conference road weekend with a 3-0 loss to Rio Grande on Saturday afternoon inside Newt Oliver Arena.
The Eagles (4-14, 1-3 RSC) fell by scores of 25-13, 25-23 and 25-17. Rio Grande improved to 8-15 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
Rio Grande jumped out to an early advantage in the opening set. After Midway battled back to tie the frame at 4-4 following kills from Morgan Broderick and Mayson Delong, the RedStorm began to pull away. Rio Grande eventually used a 6-0 run to extend its advantage from 9-6 to 15-6 before taking the opening set, 25-13.
Midway responded with its best offensive performance of the afternoon in the second set. The Eagles recorded 18 kills and hit .231 in the frame, compared to 12 kills for Rio Grande. Despite the improved attack, the RedStorm escaped with a 25-23 victory to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.
The Eagles were unable to force a fourth set as Rio Grande closed the match with a 25-17 victory in the third. Midway was held to nine kills in the final frame, while the RedStorm recorded 10 kills.
Ava Benner led the Midway attack with seven kills on 14 attempts while hitting .286. Broderick, Delong, Allie McClanahan and Lanie Cornelius each added six kills. Broderick hit a team-best .333 with six kills on 12 attempts.
Mayme Powell paced the offense with 21 assists, while Peyton Osteen added 11. Blair Riney led the defensive effort with 12 digs, followed by Marlee Laycock with nine and Aubry Kamholz with seven.
Midway finished with 36 kills and 33 assists while hitting .108 for the match. Rio Grande recorded 38 kills and hit .253. The RedStorm also held advantages in service aces, 10-3, and total blocks, 13-1.
The Eagles finish the weekend 1-1 after earning a four-set victory over WVU Tech on Friday night for their first RSC victory since Oct. 25, 2024.
Midway returns continues on the road Wednesday, Sept. 30, as they head to the University of the Cumberlands.
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.
