Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – Junior newcomer Lauren Snyder recorded 30 kills to lead Eastern Kentucky to a 3-2 victory over Southeast Missouri State Friday night at McBrayer Arena. EKU (1-12, 1-3 OVC) fell behind 2-1 before coming back to win the final two sets. Four Colonels finished with 10 or more kills and four finished with 10 or more digs.

Game scores were 26-24, 24-26, 22-25, 25-14 and 15-7.

“It feels great to get the pressure off,” Snyder said. “This was a giant team effort. We worked real hard in practice and tonight everyone was on top of their game physically and mentally.”

Snyder hit .446, added 11 digs, three block assists and three service aces to go along with her match-high 30 kills. Senior Lindsey Loescher contributed 19 kills and 14 digs. Autumn Harms added 11 kills and five blocks. Hannah Groudle chipped in with 10 kills and five blocks.

Eastern out-hit Southeast Missouri (6-9, 3-3 OVC) .259 to .173. The Colonels held a 76-59 advantage in kills and had an 11-5 edge in blocks.

Junior Kate Hendle posted a career-best 66 assists to go along with 19 digs for Eastern. #Abby O’Connor# finished with a match-best and career-tying 32 digs.

Karleigh DeLong led the Redhawks with 19 kills and added 12 digs. Emily Hughes finished with 17 kills.

The first three sets were close throughout. With the first set tied 23-23, a kill by Snyder brought Eastern Kentucky to set-point. However, DeLong answered with a kill to tie the set again. A kill by Groudle put the Colonels in front 25-24 before Snyder’s ninth kill of the set gave EKU a 1-0 lead.

The Colonels had a late 22-20 lead in the second set before kills by Paige Dossey and Emily Maher tied the score at 23-23. A SEMO attack error handed Eastern set-point, 24-23, but the Redhawks scored three straight points to take the set and tie the match at 1-1.

A 5-1 run by Southeast Missouri in the third set turned a two-point Colonel deficit into a six-point margin, 23-17. Eastern closed within two, 24-22, on a kill by Harms and consecutive kills by Snyder, but an EKU attack error ended the comeback and put SEMO in front 2-1.

The fourth and fifth sets belonged to the Colonels. Eastern jumped out 4-1 in the fourth set then rolled of six unanswered to build a 14-5 lead. A kill by Snyder and back-to-back SEMO attack errors ended the set 25-14 in favor of the home team and tied the match at 2-2.

Kills by Snyder and Groudle, sandwiched around three straight Redhawk attack errors, turned a 3-3 tie into an 8-3 Colonel lead in the decisive fifth set. Two straight service aces by SEMO’s Amanda Rickhoff cut the lead to two, 8-6, but Southeast would get no closer. Eastern Kentucky went on a 7-1 run to end the match. Southeast Missouri’s return of Hendle’s serve came back over the net to a waiting Loescher. The senior slammed the ball to the left back corner for the match-winner.

“Towards the end, we were really in sync,” said Snyder.

The Colonels will host Eastern Illinois on Saturday at 2 p.m.