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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Junior middle blocker Laura McDermott led the Morehead State volleyball team in kills for the second consecutive match, and the Eagles recorded eight aces Saturday to top host Tennessee State 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-20) at Kean Hall.
McDermott landed 12 winners and hit .345, while senior outside hitter Aryn Bohannon served three aces and added seven kills on a .333 attack efficiency. Morehead State won its 24th consecutive Ohio Valley Conference match, its 25th straight OVC road match and improved to 2-0 in the league and 11-5 overall. The Tigers slipped to 0-2 in the league and 3-9 overall.
It also marked MSU's 11th straight victory over Tennessee State. The Eagles lead the series, 45-8.
"We did a great job serving today, which kept TSU out of their system," Head Coach Jaime Gordon said. "They are a very dynamic team and extremely efficient when they can use all their options."
McDermott has 50 kills and a .336 hitting percentage in the last four matches. Bohannon upped her career kill total to 997. She is vying to become a member of the 1,000-kill, 1,000-dig club at MSU. Fewer than 10 players in program history have reached that mark in both categories.
The Eagles got a team-high 16 digs from senior libero Leslie Schellhaas as MSU edged TSU in digs, 49-46. The Eagles totaled 40 kills and hit .211. Tennessee State hit .145.
MSU junior right-side hitter Alex Fitzmorris added seven kills and a team-high four block assists. Arijauna Anderson had a match-best 13 kills for the hosts. Naomi Wells, the OVC leader in kills per set, was held to seven successful spikes but added 17 digs.
"I thought our blockers did a good job of communicating attacker movement," Gordon said.
The Eagles raced to a 7-1 advantage in the opening set. TSU never led but rallied to make it a tight contest. MSU had a 18-15 lead late but scored the next three to gain momentum.
The second set featured only three lead changes. Morehead State distanced itself following an 8-8 tie with a 9-4 run. The final set saw six ties, but MSU never relinquished the lead. The hosts cut the margin to 21-20, but the Eagles scored the final four tallies.
"I am proud of the way our team fought off their late set surges," Gordon added. "Overall this was a great weekend for us to get two key wins on the road."
Morehead State hosts Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. MSU has won 14 straight matches against its in-state rivals.
