Morehead, Ky. -- The Morehead State volleyball team ran into a tough Little Rock defense and a solid attack and were swept (20-25, 23-25, 24-26) Saturday afternoon in the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, Ark.
The loss snapped an 11-match win streak for Morehead State (17-6, 11-1 OVC) to begin Ohio Valley Conference play. Senior
M.E. Hargan led the Eagle attack with 18 kills, hitting .286. Junior middle blocker
Amelia Nott finished with nine terminations, hitting .348.
Little Rock (12-12, 7-5 OVC) was led by senior middle blocker A'lanae Margaritha with 14 kills on 21swings for a blistering .667 hitting percentage. The Trojans finished the match posting a .226 hitting percentage, while their stout defensive effort held MSU to a .179 attack efficiency. The win snapped a five-match losing streak for the Trojans.
Morehead State led through the early stages of the opening set; Little Rock gaining the first of three tie scores in the set at 10-10. The Eagles ran off three straight points to take a 15-11 lead. The Trojans used a five-point run to go up 22-18 and never again trailed in the set. Margaritha got going early for Little Rock, posting seven kills and a service ace in the opening frame, while Nott paced the Eagles with five.
The second set was tightly contested early with Little Rock maintaining a slim margin; a 3-0 run gave Little Rock a 13-10 lead. The Trojans closed out the frame on the second set point to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Little Rock's Bella Cherry carried the Trojan offense with six kills as the Trojans hit .353 for the set.
Little Rock jumped out of the gates in the third set with a 4-0 run. They stretched the lead to six at 13-7; then the Eagles mounted a comeback. A four-point run drew the Eagles even at 20-20. The teams traded points, but MSU could not get the lead and fell in extras, 26-24.
Morehead State will return home for a series with SIUE Thursday and Friday in Johnson Arena. Thursday's match is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. ET. Friday's tilt is set for 5:00 p.m. ET.
NOTABLE
- Little Rock finished with an 11-8 advantage in blocks. Senior middle blocker Jaycee Kennedy led with six blocks. Nott, Hargan and Bailey Brashear paced the Eagles with four blocks each.
- The Trojans had a 68-62 edge in digs. Morehead State libero Courtney Fitzgerald claimed match honors with 26 digs, tying her career high. Little Rock's Andrea Roman led the hosts with 19.
- Morehead State notched five service aces; Tinsley Brown and Nott slammed two each and Fitzgerald added one. Little Rock tallied four aces; Margaritha led with two, Roman and Dariana Valencia each had one. Â
