The Morehead State volleyball program dropped both of its Saturday (August 30) matches in the Eagle Challenge at Wetherby Gym. MSU suffered a 25-10, 25-21, 25-10 defeat to Northern Kentucky and then lost a 20-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-22 decision to Radford.
NKU finishes the three-team event by winning both of its matches, while RU posted a 2-1 mark and MSU dropped all three of its tilts. The Highlanders won the Big South Conference last season, while the Eagles are the four-time defending Ohio Valley Conference champions.
"I'm disappointed with our results this weekend, but you have to give Northern Kentucky and Radford credit for the way they played," Head Coach Jaime Gordon said. "Our program has always focused on the process, and that's what we will continue to do. We really don't talk about winning and losing. We talk about working to get better in every practice and every match."
Junior outside hitter Jayden Julian recorded a match-best 12 kills for Northern Kentucky in Saturday's opener. The Norse posted a .476 attack percentage in the opening stanza before hitting .118 and .526 over the final two sets. NKU managed 34 kills in just 74 total attacks.
Morehead State was limited to a .000 hitting percentage against the Norse. Northern Kentucky tallied a 38-25 advantage in digs, with junior libero Mel Stewart collecting a match-high 11. NKU also registered seven aces. No MSU player reached double figures in kills or digs.
"I thought our play was inconsistent throughout the weekend, but that can happen with a relatively inexperienced squad," Gordon said. "I saw several positive things, but I also saw several areas that we need to work on as a group. If we focus on the things we can control, I think we will be OK. It's still August, and I'm more concerned about how we will look in November."
Morehead State won the opening set in the tournament finale, but Radford responded with three consecutive set victories to take the match. The Highlanders posted an 11-5 upper hand in team blocks and committed just 18 attack errors while forcing 33. The match featured 25 ties and 13 lead changes, including 10 even scores in both the first and fourth stanzas.
Freshman outside hitter Alli Evans paced three Eagles in double figures with 11 kills in the day's second match. MSU senior setter Colbey Cameron contributed 21 assists and 14 digs, while junior middle blocker Hannah Sigala closed out with nine kills and four blocks.
Senior outside hitter Rachel Wiechecki collected 12 digs, 11 smackdowns and five blocks for the Highlanders. Freshman outside hitter Maddie Palmer added 15 defensive stops and four aces for Radford, while senior setter Jena Braden handed out a match-best 29 assists.
"Our program has had a lot of success in recent years, so it's important to keep things in perspective," Gordon added. "We still have a ton of matches to play this season. We will continue to face several quality non-conference opponents, and the Ohio Valley Conference figures to be very competitive again this year. If you can't learn how to lose, you don't deserve to win."
Morehead State continues non-conference action next weekend at the Kent State Golden Flashes Classic in Kent, Ohio. The Eagles will square off with New Hampshire and the host school on Friday (Sept. 5) before wrapping up the two-day event against Evansville on Saturday (Sept. 6).
