Morehead, Ky. -- Morehead State used a well-rounded effort to sweep Lindenwood 3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-23) in the opener of its Ohio Valley Conference series Friday night at Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
Morehead State (10-5, 4-0 OVC) was efficient in its attack, hitting .347 (the third highest efficiency of the season). The Eagles struck nine service aces and held an 8-2 advantage in total blocks on the match.
M.E. Hargan led the MSU attack with 15 kills on 31 attempts, hitting .367.
Hollan Everett smacked 10 kills on just 18 swings, hitting a very efficient .556.
Bailey Brashear led the Eagle defense up front with five total blocks including one block solo. Â
The match opened as a tight affair. There were five ties early; with the teams tied at 6-6, MSU ran off a 17-1 run highlighted by four
Tinsley Brown service aces and three blocks from
Bailey Brashear. Hargan led the attack with six kills hitting .385. The Eagles slammed 14 kills in 26 attacks with just one error for a blistering .500 attack percentage while turning away five blocks in the frame.
The second set was again close through the early stages. With the score tied at 7-7, the Eagles extended a lead to 15-10 at the set break. Lindenwood got as close as three points, but Morehead State closed the set out 25-21. MSU got three service aces in the set and hit .189 in the set.
Both squads displayed a strong attack in the third set. Lindenwood controlled the early stages of the frame, leading until MSU tied the score at 10-10. The teams exchanged runs and Lindenwood used a three-point run to go ahead 18-15. Morehead State edged back ahead highlighted by Brown's fifth ace of the night to go ahead 21-20. The Eagles hit a .400 attack percentage while the Lions countered with a .353 hitting percentage for the frame.
Lindenwood (6-8, 2-4 OVC) was led on the attack by Ashley Geluck with 14 kills, hitting .500 on the match. Sophomore Autumn Bax posted seven kills and a match-high 10 digs.
Morehead State and Lindenwood will square off tomorrow for the capper of the series. The match is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET. The match is scheduled to be aired on ESPN+.
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NOTABLE
- Tinsley Brown led a strong Eagle service game, posting a career-high five aces (four in the first set). Brown now has 13 service aces on the season: she's one of five Eagles with double-digit aces on the campaign. For the match, MSU had a 9-3 advantage in service aces.
- Digs were even at 38-38. Lindenwood's Autumn Bax posted 10 digs for match honors. Â Morehead State was led by Courtney Fitzgerald and M.E. Hargan with nine digs apiece.
- Junior setter Sydney Sennett notched 35 assists and added a career-high four kills on the night.
