Eagles Grind Out 4-Setter over Southern Indiana to Advance to OVC Title Match

Morehead, Ky. -- Morehead State got career highs from Hollan Everett, Sydney Sennett, and Courtney Fitzgerald and a season high from M.E. Hargan as the Eagles prevailed in four sets (25-21, 27 25, 25-22, 25-21) in the semi-finals of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament in Charleston, Illinois, Monday.
 
Morehead State (2-8, 15-3 OVC) was led by M.E. Hargan with 24 kills, setting a new season high and posted a .246 hitting percentage. Everett slammed 22 kills, setting a new career high while hitting .294. Amelia Nott ended with 10 kills, hitting .318.
 
Junior Eagle setter Sydney Sennett set a new career high with 53 assists running the MSU offense that hit a season-high 69 kills and posted a .231 attack efficiency. Junior libero Fitzgerald set new career highs with 28 digs and eight assists. Everett also posted a new career high with seven digs. Senior Sarah Heath tied her career-high with five block assists.
 
Southern Indiana (19-13, 14-4 OVC) was paced by Ashby Willis with 16 kills and Leah Coleman with 15. Carly Wright added 10 kills and five blocks for the third-seeded Screaming Eagles. USI posted a .185 hitting percentage for the match.
  
Morehead State ran off five straight points to grab an 11-3 lead in the first set, as the Eagle offense ran efficiently in the early stages of the set led by Everett with four early kills. Southern Indiana responded with a 5-0 run to cut the Eagle lead to 18-15. The Screaming Eagles got to within as close to two points twice, but MSU closed out the set with their third block of the set. Everett led Morehead State in the opening frame with six kills hitting .455. The Eagles hit .282 in the opening frame.


 
Southern Indiana broke out the block party in the second set with eight total blocks in the frame and held Morehead State to just a .143 hitting percentage. After multiple ties early, Southern Indiana ran off four straight points to gain some separation at 10-6. Another 4-0 run by USI stretched the lead to 14-9.
 
MSU responded with a four-point run of their own highlighted by Nott's third ace of the match and pulled to within one at 15-14. Another 3-0 run put the Eagles ahead 18-17. The teams traded points into the 20's. Southern Indiana held off two set points and ran off three straight to tie the match at a set apiece.
 
USI maintained an early lead to open the third set. MSU got a 5-1 run to take their first lead of the frame at 8-7. A 5-2 run gave the Eagles a 15-11 lead at the technical timeout. A 3-0 MSU run gave Morehead State their largest lead at 18-13. USI responded with a five-point run to tie the score at 18-18.
 
After the teams traded points, two straight kills by Hargan put the Eagles ahead 23-21. After a USI point, Hargan's 18^th kill of the match gave MSU a set point. Everett clinched the set with her 15^th kill of the match to put the Eagles ahead two sets to one.
 
Southern Indiana ran off five straight points to kick off the fourth set. The Eagles answered with five straight of their own to even the score at 6-6. USI ran off another five points to move ahead 11-7, as neither attack could post a hitting percentage over .200.
 
MSU got back in front with a 6-0 run highlighted by two kills from Everett and an ace from Logan Smith at 14-12. USI responded with a 4-2 run to retake the lead 16-15. MSU ran off an 8-1 run to take a 23-19 lead. Morehead State closed it out with kills by Everett and Nott. MSU hit .255 in the final frame.
 
The Eagles advance to the OVC tournament finals Tuesday against the winner of top-seed Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri. First service is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
 
NOTABLE

• Southern Indiana was strong at the net, with a 13-9.5 advantage in total blocks. MSU's Bailey Brashear led MSU with six total blocks, tied for match honors with USI's McKenzie Murphy. Brashear has notched 97 total blocks on the season.
• Morehead State served tough with a 7-1 advantage in aces. Nott led the way with three and Fitzgerald added two. Nott's total of 113 career aces ranks third in the MSU record book for the modern era.
• MSU had an 89-81 advantage in digs. Fitzgerald led the Eagle effort with her career- high 28. Hargan added 14, Sennett added 12 and Tinsley Brown and Logan Smith added 11 each.
• Morehead State advances to the championship game of the OVC tournament for the second consecutive year and the fifth time in the last seven years.  The Eagles are 5-14 all-time in OVC tournament championship matches.