Behind 22 kills from grad student Olivia Lohmeier and 15 each from freshman Maycie Welborn and sophomore Abby Hulsman, Morehead State Volleyball rallied from down 2-1 to oust Austin Peay 3-2 and reach the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship match.
The Eagles (20-11) also secured the program's 32nd all-time 20-win campaign. MSU faltered 25-15 in the opening set but rebounded to win a thriller (32-30) to even the match. The Govs took the 2-1 cushion by finishing off a 25-23 victory in the third set, but the Eagles fought back again ad won with an identical total to force the final set.
A quick 3-0 burst to open the finale set the tone before MSU led 8-6 later. But a 5-0 flurry, including two aces by junior setter Bridget Bessler, sealed the Eagles' winning fate.
Morehead State will take on the winner of the the Southeast Missouri-Murray State match at 7 p.m. ET Saturday for the OVC title. MSU will be playing in its third straight title match after winning the top trophy in the spring season at home.
Lohmeier upped her career kill total to 1,971 with the most in a match personally since banging in 25 kills versus APSU in the first league match of the season on Sept. 24. She also blocked four attempts and had a double-double with a season (and career) high 12 digs. Her attack efficiency was high too, at .362.
Welborn was nearly flawless on the right-side attack with 15 kills, which tied her career-high, while hitting .375. She made just three offensive errors, her third straight match with an above .300 attack efficiency.
Hulsman nailed down her 15 kills for her fifth straight double-digit kill match.
At the net, freshmen McKenzee Wagener and Irene Wogenstahl each came up with four blocks as the Eagles blocked nine total APSU attacks. On the back row, junior libero Allison Whitten had 17 digs, while junior Olivia Montelisciani totaled 14. The league leader in solo serving points, MSU smashed down eight aces as well.
