Box Score

RICHMOND, Ky. – Five Colonels recorded 10 or more kills and two posted double-doubles as the Eastern Kentucky volleyball team beat Murray State 3-1 Friday night at McBrayer Arena. EKU (3-13, 3-4 OVC) won for the third time in its last four matches.

Lindsey Loescher and Lauren Snyder both contributed double-doubles for Eastern. Loescher finished with a match-high 17 kills and 14 digs. Snyder recorded 10 kills, 10 digs and three block assists. Autumn Harms finished with 15 kills. Hannah Groudle totaled 13 kills and four blocks. Amanda Fago was the fifth Colonel to register double digit kill totals, finishing with 10.

Set scores were 25-18, 21-25, 25-21 and 25-23.

Ashley Nenninger led the Racers (3-14, 3-4 OVC) with 16 kills. Logan Su added 15 kills. Kayleah Sauer posted a match-best 30 digs for MSU.

In the first set, the Colonels jumped out to a 6-1 lead. A kill by Loescher stretched the advantage to six, 11-5. An ace by Loescher and a kill by Fago put the home team in front by eight, 15-7. Kate Hendle’s kill made it a double-digit lead, 19-9. The Racers went on a 7-1 run to close the gap to four, but Eastern won the next two points to end the Murray State rally. Back-to-back MSU errors ended the set, 25-18, in favor of EKU.

Murray State evened things up in the second set. The score was tied nine times in the second set. The Racers broke the final tie and took the lead for good with a 4-0 run. An ace by Sauer followed by an EKU attack error capped the run and put the visitors on top 17-13. A kill by Jade Guo pushed the margin to five, 20-15. The Colonels closed within two twice, but couldn’t get over the hump. After a kill by Harms made it 23-21, Murray State won the next two points to tie the set at 1-1.

Eastern Kentucky jumped out quick in the third set. The Colonels went up 9-4 after four straight kills, two by Harms and two by Fago. A kill by Snyder and a MSU attack error pushed EKU to an eight-point lead, 12-4. Consecutive kills by Groudle followed by a kill from Loescher allowed the Colonels to take a nine-point lead, 17-8. However, the Racers didn’t fold. Murray State battled back and closed within two points, 21-19, on a kill by Becca Lamb and an Eastern attack error. Each time EKU moved out in front by three, MSU answered to cut it back to two. A kill by Su made it 23-21. Another Murray State attack error gave the Colonels set-point and a kill by Harms ended the set, 25-21, and gave Eastern a 2-1 lead.

In the fourth set, the Racers scored first on a kill by Guo, but Eastern Kentucky scored four straight and never trailed again. The Colonels took a pair of five-point leads, but each time MSU closed the gap. After a kill by Fago made it 16-11, the Racers rolled off four straight to get within one. Eastern never led by more than three the rest of the way, but Murray State could never force a tie. A kill by Snyder gave EKU the set, 25-23, and the match.

Hendle finished with 62 assists for EKU. The junior setter has posted 50 or more assists in each of the last four matches. #Abby O’Connor# led Eastern with 23 digs.

The Colonels will play at home for the fifth time in six matches on Saturday when Tennessee-Martin visits McBrayer Arena. The match is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.