MIDWAY, Ky. — The Midway women's volleyball team returns to action Wednesday when it travels to Williamsburg, Kentucky, for a non-conference matchup against No. 21 University of the Cumberlands.
First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. inside the UC Volleyball Gym. The matchup will mark Midway's first contest against an NAIA Top 25 opponent this season.
Midway enters the matchup with a 4-14 overall record and a 1-3 mark in River States Conference play. The Eagles split a pair of conference road matches last weekend, defeating WVU Tech 3-1 on Friday before falling to Rio Grande in three sets on Saturday.
The victory over WVU Tech marked Midway's first conference win since October 2024. Peyton Osteen helped guide the offense in the victory, recording a career-high 25 assists.
Through 18 matches, the Eagles have recorded 658 kills, 615 assists, 100 service aces and 916 digs. Midway is averaging 10.44 kills and 14.54 digs per set.
Allie McClanahan leads the Midway attack with 147 kills and 2.33 kills per set. Mayson Delong follows with 116 kills, while Alyssa Medeiros has recorded 104. Delong has also made an impact at the net, leading the Eagles with 13 solo blocks and recording 27 total blocks.
Mayme Powell leads the Eagles with 298 assists and 22 service aces, while Osteen has dished out 227 assists. Defensively, Blair Riney has a team-high 182 digs, followed by Marlee Laycock with 165 and Aubry Kamholz with 121.
HOMECOMING CELEBRATION
Wednesday's matchup will also mark a homecoming for Midway head coach Sam Young, who returns to her alma mater, the University of the Cumberlands, for the first time as a collegiate head coach.
Young played collegiately and earned her masters degree at the University of the Cumberlands after earning her bachelors degree from Spalding University. She later served as an assistant coach at Cumberland University in Tennessee, where she was named the Mid-South Conference Assistant Coach of the Year in 2022 and helped the Phoenix capture the Mid-South Conference championship and earn a berth in the NAIA National Tournament in 2023.
Young is in her first season leading the Eagles.
On the opposite sideline will be Cumberlands head coach Kathryn Park. Park is the program's all-time wins leader and has guided the Patriots to three consecutive NAIA Tournament appearances. She led Cumberlands to a 36-1 record in 2025, when the Patriots captured their first Mid-South Conference regular-season championship. Park is also a two-time MSC Coach of the Year and two-time MSC Tournament champion.
SCOUTING #21 CUMBERLANDS
Cumberlands enters Wednesday with a 16-4 overall record. The Patriots have won four of their last five matches, including a 3-1 victory over Northwestern Ohio in their most recent outing.
The Patriots are averaging 13.21 kills per set while hitting .260 as a team. Cumberlands also averages 12.46 assists, 2.08 service aces, 16 digs and 1.84 blocks per set.
Brynnley Bryant leads the Cumberlands attack with 267 kills and 3.76 kills per set. Sara Zampedri follows with 222 kills and averages 3.36 kills per set. Savanah Jolly directs the offense with 729 assists and averages 10.27 per set, while Morgan Bentel leads the defensive effort with 257 digs.
Cumberlands holds a 14-1 advantage in the all-time series against Midway.
Following Wednesday's matchup, the Eagles return home to Marshall Gymnasium on Friday, Oct. 2, when they host Kentucky Christian in River States Conference action at 7 p.m.
MIDWAY HONORS
Lanie Cornelius was named this weeks Clark's Pump-N-Shop Athlete of the Week for Midway. The Eagles went 2-1 over their three matches last week. Cornelius recorded 15 kills over that span while adding two assists and two digs. She also contributed at the service line, recording two aces against WVU Tech. The sophomore hails from Odon, Indiana.
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.
