LIMA, Ohio – Midway women's volleyball earned a split at the Racer Rumble on Friday afternoon, sweeping Wright State-Lake before falling in straight sets to host UNOH.
GAME ONE: MIDWAY 3 - 0 WRIGHT STATE LAKE CAMPUS
Midway earned the victory in straight sets, 25-19, 25-17 and 25-20, to improve to 2-8 on the season.
The opening set was tightly contested early, with neither team able to create much separation. Wright State-Lake eventually grabbed a 16-13 advantage before the Eagles began to turn the momentum.
A service ace from Peyton Osteen and a kill from Nyla Gaines helped Midway score three consecutive points to even the set at 16.
After the Lakers briefly regained the lead, Midway took control.
A kill from Ava Benner tied the set at 17 before back-to-back service aces from Aubry Kamholz highlighted a 4-0 run that put the Eagles ahead 20-17.
Midway continued to pull away down the stretch. Marlee Laycock recorded an ace before kills from Alyssa Medeiros and Benner helped push the advantage to 24-18. Medeiros then put the finishing touches on the opening set with a kill to give the Eagles a 25-19 victory.
Wright State-Lake came out strong in the second set, scoring the first four points, but Midway quickly erased the deficit.
The Eagles battled back to tie the set at five before the two sides traded points throughout the middle stages of the frame.
With the score tied at 14, Midway made its move.
A kill from Lanie Cornelius gave the Eagles the lead before a pair of Wright State-Lake attack errors and a Mayson Delong kill helped Midway build an 18-14 advantage.
The Eagles never looked back.
Midway scored seven of the final 10 points, with Delong continuing to provide a spark offensively. The junior recorded three kills during the closing stretch before a Cornelius block sealed the 25-17 victory and gave Midway a commanding 2-0 lead.
The Eagles used their best run of the afternoon to take control of the third set.
Holding a narrow 10-9 advantage, Midway scored six unanswered points behind the serve of Mayme Powell. The run featured a Powell service ace along with kills from Delong, Cornelius and Medeiros as the Eagles stretched their lead to 16-9.
Wright State-Lake responded with a run of its own to cut the Midway advantage to 19-18, but the Eagles didn't allow the Lakers to complete the comeback.
Midway closed the match by scoring six of the final eight points. Allie McClanahan recorded two kills during the closing stretch, while Gaines added two of her own before a Wright State-Lake attack error completed the sweep, 25-20.
Delong turned in her best offensive performance of the season, finishing with a match-high 11 kills while committing just one attack error on 13 attempts for a .769 hitting percentage.
Gaines was nearly as efficient, recording eight kills without an attack error on 13 attempts to finish with a .615 hitting percentage. Medeiros added eight kills, while McClanahan finished with seven kills without an error and hit .333.
Peyton Osteen led the setting effort with 22 assists and added two service aces, while Powell finished with 17 assists, three kills, five digs and an ace.
Blair Riney led the Eagles defensively with 10 digs, while Kamholz added eight digs and two service aces.
Midway finished with 46 kills and just 14 attack errors on 109 attempts for a .294 hitting percentage. The Eagles were especially efficient in the second set, recording 15 kills and hitting .379.
Defensively, Midway held Wright State-Lake to a .066 hitting percentage. The Lakers recorded 26 kills against 19 attack errors.
GAME TWO: UNOH 3 - 0 MIDWAY
The Racers defeated the Eagles 25-21, 25-18 and 25-16 as Midway moved to 2-9 on the season.
Midway came out strong in the opening set, scoring the first three points behind kills from Delong and McClanahan along with a service ace from Riney.
The Eagles maintained the advantage through the early stages and held an 11-9 lead following a kill from Cornelius.
UNOH responded with its first major run of the match. The Racers scored eight consecutive points to turn the two-point deficit into a 17-11 advantage. Allianah Lopez did much of the damage from the service line, recording three aces during the run.
Midway refused to go away.
The Eagles answered with four of the next five points, highlighted by a McClanahan kill and an Aaliyah Lawler service ace, to cut the deficit to 18-15.
After UNOH pushed its advantage back to 19-15, McClanahan helped spark another Midway rally. The freshman recorded three kills during a 5-1 stretch, while she and Gaines teamed up for a block that helped the Eagles erase the deficit and tie the set at 20.
The Racers answered when it mattered most, scoring five of the final six points to take the opening set, 25-21.
UNOH carried the momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 6-2 advantage before extending the lead to 10-4.
Midway attempted to work its way back into the frame. Medeiros recorded three kills during a stretch that helped the Eagles cut the deficit to 15-12.
The Racers responded once again, using a 5-2 run to extend their advantage to 20-14. Midway made one final push with three consecutive points, including back-to-back kills from Gaines, to make it 23-17.
UNOH eventually closed out the set, 25-18, to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Racers took control early in the third set behind a lengthy run from the service line.
Riley Treece helped UNOH score the first 11 points of the set, recording four service aces during the stretch as the Racers quickly built an 11-0 advantage.
Midway continued to battle despite the early deficit. McClanahan and Emma Figgins recorded kills before Gaines added a block to help the Eagles cut into the lead.
The Eagles later put together a 3-0 run behind a Delong kill, a UNOH attack error and a Riney service ace to make it 20-11.
Midway continued fighting down the stretch, getting kills from Delong and Benner, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome as UNOH closed out the set, 25-16, and completed the sweep.
McClanahan led the Midway attack with a match-high 12 kills while hitting .243. She also added a block assist.
Medeiros finished with seven kills and hit .227, while Delong added five kills. Gaines recorded three kills and led the Eagles at the net with three total blocks.
Powell paced the setting effort with 20 assists and six digs, while Osteen added eight assists.
Riney turned in a strong defensive performance with 11 digs and two service aces, while Lawler finished with 10 digs and an ace.
Midway finished with 33 kills and hit .122 for the match. UNOH recorded 41 kills and finished with a .198 hitting percentage.
The service line proved to be one of the biggest differences in the match, with the Racers recording 10 aces compared to three for the Eagles. UNOH also held a 67-58 advantage in digs, while the two teams finished even with three total blocks apiece.
Gianna San Filippo led the Racers with 15 kills on 26 attempts, hitting .423 while adding three block assists. Treece finished with five service aces, while Lopez added three aces and 17 assists.
The loss moves Midway to 2-9 on the season.
Up Next
The Eagles return home for a non-conference matchup on Tuesday night as they host Campbellsville at 7:00 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, 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.
