BOX SCORE
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Morehead State volleyball displayed incredible efficiency on the offensive side of play Wednesday night and took advantage of a few errant Tennessee State passes as well to hit a season-best .367 en route to a 3-0 sweep (25-14, 25-17, 25-20) against the Tigers at Johnson Arena.
MSU improved to 5-7 overall and started OVC play 1-0. Since 2017, MSU has now won 14 of the last 15 meetings with Tennessee State. MSU has only ever lost three meetings with TSU at home, leading that portion of the series 37-3.
The Eagles belted down 49 kills and only were charged with nine attack errors, the fewest attack mistakes in a match since committing just eight against Eastern Illinois on Oct. 20, 2022.Of the 49 kills, eight came off errant TSU overpasses on serves or in their rotations. MSU's .367 total was the highest since hitting .382 against Gardner-Webb last September.
MSU's all-time hitting percentage leader since the 25-point rally scoring era began,
Irene Wogenstahl, was again her usual self tonight. She led the team with 13 kills with just one error for a .429 attack effort. Fellow hitter
M.E. Hargan pounded down 12 kills, while middle blocker
Sydney Wyman had nine kills with just one mistake for a .500 efficiency.
Defensively, MSU was equally stout. Wogenstahl led a front line that racked up seven blocks. She had five total blocks herself. MSU's setters,
Brenna Bommer (20) and
Sydney Sennett (12) combined for 32 assists, while each served up two of the Eagles' seven aces. TSU was only able to generate two aces.
"We knew they were a team that is very effective when they are in system, so keeping our serves low and flat and targeting key players was in our game plan tonight," said Bommer. " I thought we did a really effective job of executing that tonight. When I am serving specifically I really try to think through my routine first. I get the serve zone from (associate head coach)
Sarah Martin, and I try to look at the passer in the eye. I just try to focus on the spot where I am going after them at, whether it's a shoulder or another spot, I look at that spot too."
For TSU, they had a two-prong offensive threat that produced a combined 21 kills. Jayla Holcombe (11) and Celestial Miller (10) led the Tigers, but the rest of the offense was only able to muster 14 kills. MSU also limited the visitors to .181 hitting.
MSU led for much of the night as there were only a combined nine ties and just five lead changes in the three sets.
The Eagles continue league play at OVC leader Tennessee Tech (11-1) on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.
