Morehead, Ky. -- Morehead State snapped a three-match losing streak with a 3-0 sweep (25-16, 25-22, 25-16) of Western Illinois Thursday night in Johnson Arena.
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Morehead State (11-14, 7-8 OVC) was led by the tandem of freshman
Ella Warrick and senior
Hollan Everett. Warrick posted her seventh double-double of the season with 15 kills and 13 digs and posted a .382 hitting percentage. Everett notched 14 kills hitting .343.
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Amelia Nott added eight kills with a .467 attack efficiency and added two service aces, giving her an OVC-leading 37 aces this season.
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Western Illinois (3-20, 3-10 OVC) was led by Kennedy Adair with nine kills.
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In the first set, Morehead State got an early 3-0 run to go ahead 4-1 and never trailed through the remainder of the frame. A three-point run put the Eagles ahead 17-13 paced by two kills by Everett. MSU closed out the set with a five-point run, powered by three kills by Warrick and an ace by
Josie Certa. Morehead State's attack posted a .306 hitting percentage in the opening frame while holding WIU to a .072 efficiency.
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The second set was closely contested with 11 tied scores and seven lead changes. An early 4-0 run highlighted by two aces by Nott put the Eagles up ahead 5-1. WIU rebounded to tie the score at 5 5. Morehead State closed out the set with kills by Nott and Everett. The Eagles posted a .231 hitting percentage and Western Illinois hit .122. Western recorded four blocks; Morehead State posted three blocks in the set.
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In the third set, a Morehead State 4-0 run gave the Eagles a 10-4 lead. MSU closed out the match with a 4-1run, all points coming on kills by Warrick. The Eagles hit .385 in final frame and WIU posted a .049 hitting percentage. Warrick notched nine kills in the final set.
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The Eagles and the Leathernecks will close out the series Friday in Johnson Arena. First serve is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET. The match is scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+.
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NOTABLE
- Morehead State posted a .307 hitting percentage; Western Illinois hit .072. The Eagles are 2-1 this season when posting a .300 or better attack efficiency.
- Western Illinois had a 10-7 advantage in total team blocks. Morehead State's Haidyn Carter tied with WIU's Hillary Estes with four blocks in the match. WIU's 10 blocks were a season high.
- MSU had 6-4 edge in service aces. Nott and Certa posted two apiece. Warrick and Courtney Fitzgerald each added an ace for MSU.
- MSU had a 59-50 edge in digs. WIU's Grace Ulatowski posted a match-high 22; Fitzgerald led Morehead State with 14.
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