MOREHEAD, Ky. –
– On the strength of a season-high 12 aces, 12 team blocks and a career-best 12 kills from freshman Maycie Welborn, Morehead State volleyball won its third consecutive match Wednesday night, upending host Tennessee Tech 3-1 at the Eblen Center.
The Eagles, who have 39 blocks in the last three matches alone, moved to 7-9 overall and 3-2 in the OVC. MSU has now defeated Tech eight straight times the teams have met and 11 of the last 12 matchups with the Golden Eagles. The Eagles also handed Tech its first league loss of the fall after TTU started 4-0.
MSU opened with a 25-17 win in the first set and then shook off six TTU set points in the second frame, eventually outscoring the hosts 8-3 down the stretch to win 28-26. Tech grabbed the third set 25-22. A 6-2 flurry at the end of the last set gave the Eagles a 25-20 triumph.
Welborn easily established her career high with the 12 terminations and took a career-high 28 swings. She made just three mistakes, ending with a career standard .321 attack efficiency. She also added three blocks. At the net, freshman McKenzee Wagener turned back a season-best nine Tech attempts, equaling the season and career high she set just last weekend against Murray State.
Sophomore setter Bridget Bessler also was stout at the net, tying her season best with four blocks to go along with 41 assists.
Sophomore Abby Hulsman trailed Welborn by just one kill, landing 11. Despite struggling with 11 attack errors, grad student Olivia Lohmeier hammered in 10 kills to move her career total to 1,772. She is now tied with Dayle Hamontree for second in career kills in program history.
And junior libero Allison Whitten continued to pile up impressive dig totals as she recorded 26 more tonight to up her career mark 1,550.
Tennessee Tech added 10 blocks of its own, leading both teams to hit less than .100 for the night.
Morehead State will now head to Nashville, Tenn., for an OVC weekend against Tennessee State. Friday begins at 7 p.m. ET.