RESULTS (EIU | UTM) | PHOTO GALLERY (JIM CUNDIFF AND TAYLOR JOHNSON)

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Hosting the 2022 Ohio Valley Conference Beach Volleyball Championship, Morehead State rolled to a 4-1 victory over Eastern Illinois to start the day before narrowly dropping a 3-2 decision to top seed UT Martin later on.

The Eagles, seeded No. 4, moved to 10-10 on the season and now face second-seed Austin Peay on Friday at Noon ET in an elimination match. All matches left in the tournament are set to be aired live on ESPN+.

Against EIU, No. 1 pair Olivia Lohmeier and Allison Whitten prevailed 21-7, 21-5. The win marked Lohmeier's 50th career triumph, continuing to add to her program career total.

Nos. 3-5 also won. On court three, Anya Reinhard and Margaret Musselman outlasted their foes 21-13, 21-18. At No. 4, Trinity Miller and Abby Hulsman also won in straight sets 21-9, 21-13. At No. 5, Bridget Bessler and Raegan Alexander scored a 21-15, 21-18 victory.

At No. 2, Olivia Montelisciani and Bella Williams battled but fell 21-23, 21-19, 13-15.

In the UT Match, the Eagles' top two pairs (Lohmeier/Whitten and Williams/Montelisciani) both claimed victories. Lohmeier and Whiten scored a straight-set 24-22, 21-15 triumph. Williams and Montelisciani rebounded from the earlier setback to top their foe in three sets (21-11, 21-23, 15-12).

While UT Martin claimed the ultimate win, the No. 4 pair of Miller and Hulsman put up an extremely valiant fight. They trailed 9-2 in the third set before rallying to make it a match. The pair narrowly lost in a plethora of extra points 24-22 in that deciding set. 

Alexander and Bessler also nearly pulled off a win, leading 12-9 in the third, but UTM rallied itself to a 15-13 win after the teams traded wins in the first two sets.