RICHMOND, Ky. - The Eastern Kentucky volleyball team, led by 22 kills from senior middle hitter Liz Guard (Willoughby, Ohio), opened up the 2005 season with a 3-0 victory over visiting Duquesne this evening in McBrayer Arena in the first round of the Comfort Suites Challenge. Game scores were 30-19, 30-26 and 31-29.

Guard hit .543 and sophomore setter Kelly Jennings (Barrington, Ill.) had 54 assists as the Colonels held the Dukes to a hitting percentage of just .183. Duquesne was paced by middle hitter Diana Wuebker's 16 kills and sophomore setter Kristin Garnett's 38 assists.

EKU did not trail in either of the first two games, but had to pull off some late game heroics to take the third game. Trailing 29-26, the Colonels stormed back to tie the score on kills from Guard and junior outside hitter Jessica Sabath (Kirtland, Ohio) and a service ace from sophomore Shelly George (North Huntingdon). Guard then closed the match, and the game, with a block and a kill, giving Eastern Kentucky its first opening night win in four years.

Sophomore outside hitter Amy Arlinghaus (N. Olmsted, Ohio) added 16 kills, hitting .467, while sophomore Brittany Nobilio (Johnsburg, Ill.) and senior Libby Schleisman (Suwanee, Ga.) led the Colonels in digs with 25 and 11, respectively. EKU took charge early in the first game, jumping out to leads of 10-1 and 14-6. The Dukes cut the lead to 15-11, but that was the closest they would get throughout the rest of the contest.

The Colonels are back in action tomorrow at 3 p.m. in the second round of the Comfort Suites Challenge as they face Georgia State. Morehead State will take play Duquesne in the first game at noon.

Earlier in the night, junior Laura Cox tallied a game-high 20 kills and recorded a team-best 17 digs to lead Morehead State in a come-from-behind victory over Georgia State in game one of the Comfort Suites Challenge. The Eagles fell behind two games to one and were trailing in the fourth game when they mounted a furious rally that culminated in a 29-31, 30-25, 28-30, 30-27, 15-12 triumph. Freshman Katelyn Barbour recorded 58 assists in her collegiate debut for the Eagles. Four Morehead State players recorded double-digit kills. Georgia State was led by Danielle Gonzalez's 13 kills and Christen Garcia's game-high 28 digs.