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Eagle Volleyball Falls to WVU in Five Sets

MSU Athletics

Morehead State volleyball jumped out to a two-set lead, but failed to convert two set points in the third and eventually fell to West Virginia in five sets on Saturday afternoon. With the loss, the Eagles move to 2-4 on the young season.

"I was pleased with the way we came into the match this morning. We were focused and deliberate with our play," said head coach Jaime Gordon. "We led in most major statistical categories, but let a couple of match point opportunities slip past us."

The Eagles built their two-set lead after squeaking out the first, 26-24, and then cruising in the second, 25-16. After two sets, sophomore Merideth Jewell had nine kills, while senior Sydney Schuler had seven.

After trailing 17-10 in the third, Morehead State rallied to take a 24-22 lead. But, they failed to capitalize on two set points and West Virginia extended the match with a 26-24 third set win. The Mountaineers then went on to win the fourth set 25-19 to force a pivotal fifth set.

In the fifth, WVU jumped out to a 9-3 lead before the Eagles mounted a rally to trim the lead to 11-7. But, it wasn't enough as West Virginia went on to win the fifth set, 15-8, and the match, 3-2.

Sophomore Jordan Jones had a strong performance for the Eagles and was named to the WV Capitol Classic All-Tournament Team. She finished with a game-high 36 assists to go along with 18 digs and three kills.

"Jordan did a great job stepping in and running our offense, she played solid defense both at the net and from the back row," said Gordon.

Schuler led the way for Morehead State with 15 kills on 32 attacks, good for a .344 hitting efficiency. Jewell finished with 11 kills, while hitting .152. Freshman Karlee Reynolds also continued to impress as she had four kills on four attempts and a game-high 11 blocks. Her nine block assists were one shy of a single match record.

Freshman Payton Caffrey helped WVU mount the comeback with a game-high 26 kills.

The Eagles fell despite recording 47 kills and hitting an impressive .252 as a team. West Virginia finished with 60 kills, but managed just an .186 hitting efficiency.

Next up, Morehead State hosts Wright State on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET in their home opener.