CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Behind the strengths of their All-OVC First and Second Team members, Morehead State volleyball cruised to victory in the opening round of the 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Championships. The three-seeded Eagles (21-9, 11-5 OVC) swept the No. 6 Redhawks (16-14, 8-8 OVC) by scores of 25-23, 25-10, and 25-19.
OVC Player of the Year, sophomore outside hitter
Olivia Lohmeier showed exactly why she earned the honor as she slammed home a match-high 18 kills. Attacking from the outside and the middle, Southeast Missouri couldn't find an answer for Lohmeier as she posted a .395 attack efficiency. She also chipped in six digs and a pair of blocks to wrap up her all-around performance.
Redshirt senior middle blocker
Jessie Wachtman, also a First Team All-Conference selection, stayed in lock-step with Lohmeier, slamming home 14 kills of her own while also posting an exceptional hitting percentage. Wachtman attacked at a .429 efficiency as she and Lohmeier combined for just seven errors on the afternoon, posting a combined .403 efficiency. The pair combined for 32 kills, registering six more kills during the match than their opponent (26). Wachtman, like Lohmeier, added a pair of blocks, also adding a pair of digs to finish her stat line.
All-OVC Second Team member, redshirt sophomore setter
Chandler Clark conducted the Eagles' offense eloquently, dishing out 36 assists across the match's three-set duration. She averaged 12 helpers per set, a number that exceeds both her overall and conference-only assists average. As a team, Morehead State produced a .220 hitting percentage, committing only 16 errors.
Throughout the match, the Eagles' service game took flight, as the team landed a season-best 12 service aces. Freshman libero
Allison Whitten led the way, tying her career-best mark with four aces. Three of those aces came during the first set and sparked an 11-0 run for the Eagles. Fellow freshman, defensive specialist
Olivia Montelisciani pitched in three service aces of her own as Clark, redshirt freshman defensive specialist
Taylor Hodges, and redshirt sophomore outside hitter
Liz Allen also landed aces.
Defensively, Morehead State remained stingy, holding Southeast Missouri to a sub-.100 hitting percentage as the Redhawks attacked at a .080 clip. The Eagles deterred seven attacks at the net with seniors, right-side hitter
Jordan Jones and middle blocker
Maddie Fella paced the block, picking up three turn-backs apiece. Behind the block, three back-liners, Whitten (17), Montelisciani (13), and Hodges (11) paced a group that dug up 61 total balls on the afternoon.
Morehead State returns to action at the OVC Volleyball Championships tomorrow afternoon, taking on the winner of the day's second match between No. 2 Murray State and No. 7 UT Martin. Friday's match time is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed live via ESPN+.
