COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Facing unfamiliar territory this season by facing a winner-take-all fifth set for the first time in 2020-21, Morehead State volleyball showed resilience to erase a Tennessee Tech advantage and take the match in five sets.
The Eagles flexed their defensive muscle over the final two sets of the match to erase a two-to-one set advantage by holding the Golden Eagles to a sub-zero hitting percentage to close out the match. In the fourth and fifth sets combined, Morehead State allowed 14 Tennessee Tech kills while forcing 14 errors on 62 swings to hold the Golden Eagles to a -.016 hitting efficiency.
With the victory, Morehead State improves to 9-0 on the year while Tennessee Tech falls to 4-5 on the season.
For the fifth consecutive match, all four Eagle defensive specialists and their setter recorded five or more digs apiece as Morehead State collected 86 balls in the match—the most for the program since digging 89 balls versus SIUE on Oct. 26, 2019.
Four Eagles reached double-digit digs with junior libero
Allison Whitten leading the backline with 19 digs while sophomore setter
Bridget Bessler added a career-high 16 digs on the evening. Junior defensive specialist
Olivia Montelisciani added a season-best 15 digs with redshirt junior defensive specialist
Taylor Hodges adding 13.
Morehead State also squandered 10 Golden Eagle attack attempts in addition to the team's 86 digs as Sunday's match marked the third this season for the Eagles with 10 or more team blocks. Recording a season-high-tying six total blocks, junior middle blocker
Mia Swearingen paced the Eagles while sophomore right-side hitter
Abby Hulsman added a career-high four total blocks.
Hulsman's career-highs didn't just stop on the defensive end as she also slammed home a career-best 13 kills, being one of three Eagles with 10 or more terminations on the evening. Sunday's match marked the first this season with three attackers in double-figures as senior outside hitter
Olivia Lohmeier added a season-high 19 and Swearingen chipped in 10.
In addition to her career-best 16 digs, Bessler also passed out 44 assists in the match, earning her third double-double of the season, and has now tallied a double-double in the series opener in each of the past three weekends.
Morehead State who entered top-10 in the NCAA in service aces per set, continued to press the service game Sunday, landing nine winners in the match as four of the team's primary servers tallied two aces apiece.
Morehead State and Tennessee Tech conclude their season series tomorrow evening at the Hooper Eblen Center in Cookeville. First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET.
