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MOREHEAD, Ky. – Senior libero Leslie Schellhaas notched 26 digs, while freshman setter Bailey Nichol hit .500 and had 32 assists to lead the top-seeded Morehead State volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-14) sweep of No. 8 Tennessee State in the opening round of the 2013 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament at Wetherby Gym.
Morehead State (25-7) advanced to face fifth-seeded Austin Peay in the semifinals Friday at 7 p.m. ET. TSU closed its season at 10-18.
Nichol, who made her first career start, guided MSU to a .236 team hitting percentage. She had five kills, including four in the first set. Primary starter Colbey Cameron missed the match with an injury. Schellhaas moved closer to the MSU career-dig record with her total. She now needs just 43 more to eclipse Kristina Schoo's school standard.
"I have all the faith in the world in both our setters," Head Coach Jaime Gordon said. "When we knew Colbey would be out, I also knew we wouldn't lose a beat with Bailey. She was calm and collective and put our attackers in positions to score points."
Defensively, MSU also got 19 digs from senior outside hitter Aryn Bohannon and 11 from senior defender Lindsey Roth. The Eagles had a 68-47 advantage in digs and notched 12 blocks. Junior middle blocker Laura McDermott tallied six stops.
"Our defense was critical," Gordon added. "We limited one of the best players in the league to just four kills on 40 swings. Normally when someone has 19 digs in a three-set match, they are way ahead of the next person, but with Leslie and Aryn tonight, they were both a giant part of why we won."
Sophomore outside hitter Courtney Smith topped the offense with 11 kills, her 16th match in double figures. TSU's Naomi Wells, who ranks in the top five in the OVC in kills, managed just four winners and hit negative-.050.
Tennessee State did get a match-best 12 kills from Arijana Anderson, while Ileanuska Maldonado piled up 17 digs. The Eagles limited the Tigers to an .038 hitting efficiency.
Morehead State broke a 5-5 stalemate in the first set with an 8-2 run and never trailed again. The Eagles had 14 kills in the first set and forced TSU into eight attack miscues.
TSU appeared on its way to a set-two victory, leading 17-10. But, the Eagles put together an 11-2 run, keyed by three blocks and three of Bohannon's eight kills. MSU gained a 21-19 lead and never relinquished it.
MSU fell behind 2-1 early in the third frame, but the hosts used an 8-1 scoring spurt to gain momentum. The Eagles led by as much as nine throughout and finished with their largest margin at 11.
