BOX SCORE (PDF)
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – A fabulous season came to an end on Friday night as Morehead State volleyball fought valiantly in the semifinal round of the 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Championships. The Eagles (21-10, 11-5 OVC) dropped a heartbreaking four-set affair with in-state rival Murray State (21-9, 13-3 OVC) by scores of 25-17, 25-27, 25-23, and 26-24.
After falling in the first set, Morehead State battled in each of the next three, pushing each set to the wire, even forcing the second and fourth frames to extra points. The Eagles took the second set from the Racers, keeping in lock step with their rivals before pulling ahead for good in the set.
Sophomore outside hitter
Olivia Lohmeier tied the match-high with 15 kills to lead a trio of Eagles in double-figures. The total gives Lohmeier her 12th straight contest with 10 or more kills on the season, the longest active streak for any Morehead State player. Senior right-side hitter
Jordan Jones followed just behind, posting 14 kills while sophomore outside hitter
Lauren Rokey concluded the match with 13. Senior middle blocker
Maddie Fella posted a match-best hitting percentage, connecting for a .643 efficiency, recording nine kills with no errors on 14 swings.
Running the offense, redshirt sophomore setter
Chandler Clark registered her 12th double-double of the season, dishing out 51 assists while scooping up 12 balls. In addition to Clark, three other members of the Eagles' defensive unit posted double-figure dig totals. Freshman defensive specialist
Olivia Montelisciani paced the group, totaling a match-high 16. Also in double-digits were freshman libero
Allison Whitten with 14 and redshirt freshman defensive specialist
Taylor Hodges with 12.
At the net, Morehead State turned away 11 total Murray State attacks. Fella led all blockers, deterring six total shots while Jones posted five stuffs of her own. Junior middle blocker
Karlee Reynolds added three block assists during the fourth set. Lohmeier (two), Rokey (two), Clark (one), and redshirt senior middle blocker
Jessie Wachtman (one) all also recorded blocks.
As the season comes to a close, Morehead State was able to accomplish a number of things that haven't happened during the last few seasons. First, the Eagles at 21 wins overall and 11 during OVC play posted the program's highest win totals since 2013. Morehead State also captured its first OVC Player of the Year (Lohmeier) since 2012 and the first time since 2015 the Eagles had placed multiple players on the All-OVC First Team (Lohmeier and Wachtman). Wachtman, for her efforts in the classroom, also became the first Morehead State player to be named CoSida Academic All-District since 2009.
Lohmeier finishes the season with 413 terminations, hitting .264 over the entirety of her sophomore campaign. Her kill total represents the first time an Eagle has eclipsed 400 kills in a season since 2016. Fellow sophomore
Lauren Rokey concluded her second season, posting 300 or more kills for the second consecutive year, landing 308 kills. Wachtman finished her final campaign hitting .302 for the season. She finishes her career as one of the most efficient attackers in Morehead State history, as she ranks ninth all-time in program history in hitting percentage at .262.
Clark—a Second Team All-OVC selection—finishes her first campaign as the Eagles' primary setter dishing out 1,221 assists at a rate of 10.81 per set. In finishing north of 1,200 assists and 10 assists per set, Clark becomes the first Morehead State setter to reach both marks in a single-season since 2012.
Defensively, Fella led all Eagles at the net, turning away 115 total shots on the season, posting 15 solo blocks and 100 block assists. She wraps up her career with 364 total blocks, comprised of 37 block solos and 327 block assists, a mark that ties her for fourth-most all-time in program history. Wachtman nearly ended the year above the century mark as she deterred 99 total balls, recording 22 solo blocks and 77 block assists. In her first season as the Morehead State libero and the first true freshman to take the mantle since 2006, Whitten scooped up 441 balls captaining the back line. The total marks the most for an Eagle since 2006 while also standing as the most for a true freshman since 2006.
