BOX SCORE
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State Volleyball advanced to the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament at SEMO Thursday with a 3-0 sweep over seventh seeded Belmont.
The Eagles (19-11), the second seed, completed a straight-set season sweep over the Bruins - also winning in straight sets in both regular-season matchups. The Eagles now advance to play third-seed Austin Peay on Friday at 4 p.m. ET. MSU won 25-16, 25-21, 25-17.
Sophomore
Abby Hulsman led the Eagles with 14 kills, her sixth double-digit match in her last seven outings, while freshman
McKenzee Wagener smashed 11 kills on a season-best .529 attack efficiency. Wagener also added three blocks to get 115 total blocks for the season.
Defensively, junior libero
Allison Whitten moved above the 500-dig plateau for the season with a match-high 22 scoops as the OVC leaders in digs won that battle, 61-48, over the Bruins.Â
Morehead State, also the OVC team leader in kills and assists, had a significant advantage in successful terminations at 51-32.
Bridget Bessler handed out 41 assists on the 51 kills, and she also added seven digs. The Eagles also landed six aces.
The first set was tied 11-all, but Wagener sparked a 10-2 run book ended by a Bessler dump kill. Belmont actually ran out to a 6-1 lead in the second set, but a subsequent 10-4 flurry for MSU got it the lead back at 11-10 after Hulsman's kill. The set was tied 15-all later, but the Eagles outscored the Bruins 10-5 to gain the 2-0 cushion.
The third set featured a similar scenario as the Bruins led 10-9 before an 11-2 run gave the Eagles the momentum to hold off Belmont.
MSU finished with a .282 attack percentage, its second highest this season against a league opponent.
