Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Eastern Kentucky won for the first time on the road this season with a 3-2 victory at Tennessee State Tuesday night. The Colonels entered the night 0-9 on the road this season, and a combined 0-16 away from McBrayer Arena.

Game scores were 23-25, 25-21, 25-18, 26-28 and 15-5.

Coupled with Southeast Missouri’s loss at Murray State, Eastern Kentucky remained in the hunt for a spot in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. SEMO, with an 8-9 conference mark, currently holds the final tournament spot.

Three players recorded double digit kill totals for the Colonels (7-18, 6-9 OVC). Lauren Snyder led the way with 18 kills. She also had 13 digs and three blocks. Lindsey Loescher contributed 15 kills and 21 digs. Autumn Harms finished with 13 kills, a .370 attack percentage and five blocks.

Naomi Wells led the Tigers (3-25, 2-14 OVC) with 17 kills. Vicmari Prospero and Shaquita Williams added 13 kills each. Terakka Walker led all players with 31 digs.

Eastern out-hit Tennessee State .242 to .176 and held a 10-5 advantage in blocks. The Tigers totaled six more kills than EKU, 70-64, but had 33 errors compared to just 17 for the Colonels.

Eastern Kentucky overcame a 21-17 deficit late in the first set to tie the score at 23-23, but TSU scored the next two points to jump in front 1-0. A kill by Hannah Groudle put the Colonels on top 3-2 in the second set and Eastern never relinquished the lead. An ace by Wells brought Tennessee State to within one, 19-18, but the Tigers wouldn’t get any closer. A kill by Loesher ended the set, 25-21, and tied the match at 1-1.

TSU scored the first four points in the third set and led 10-4 after a kill by Walker. A kill by Yamari P-Collazo made it 16-9 in favor of the home team. However, Eastern went on a 10-1 run to turn a seven-point deficit into a two-point lead. Six Tennessee State attack errors contributed to the run. The last error capped the run put EKU in front 19-17. The Tigers only scored one more point as the Colonels ended the match on a 16-2 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the fourth set, the roles were reversed. Eastern Kentucky built a nine point lead before Tennessee State battled back. A kill by Groudle pushed the Colonels out to a 17-8 lead. A kill by Loescher kept Eastern in front by four, 23-19. Out of a time out, TSU scored four straight, including two kills by Williams, to tie the score 23-23. A kill by Loescher gave Eastern the first of three match-points, 24-23. A Tiger error gave the Colonels their third match-point, 26-25, but Tennessee State scored three straight points to extend the match to a fifth set.

The Tigers scored three of the first four points in the fifth set, but after that it was all Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels scored five straight to start a match-ending 14-2 run. EKU scored the final eight points. Back-to-back kills by Loescher ended the match.

The Colonels will host a pair of matches at home this weekend. OVC regular season champ Jacksonville State visits McBrayer Arena on Friday for a 7 p.m. match. Tennessee Tech comes to Richmond for Senior Day on Saturday.