Box Score (PDF)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. –Three Colonels racked up 10 or more kills as the EKU volleyball team downed home standing Tennessee State University, 3-1, in Saturday's regular season finale.
EKU won by scores of 25-22, 20-25, 25-18, and 25-22.
Junior
Celina Sanks tallied a match-high 18 kills, hitting a career-high .516 in the win. Sanks committed just two attack errors on 31 attempts. Junior
Nikki Drost added a double-double, finishing with 14 kills and 11 digs for the Colonels as sophomore
Cassie Knutson chipped in 13 kills, six digs, and tied a career-high set earlier this season with five service aces.
With the win, the Colonels solidified the No. 5 seed in next week's Ohio Valley Conference tournament. EKU will take on the No. 4 seed Belmont University. The date and site will be determined by the winner of first-place Murray State University and second-place Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
If Murray State wins, the Colonels will play in Murray on Thursday. However, if SIUE wins EKU will play on Saturday in Edwardsville. Times for both days are yet to be determined.
Belmont narrowly edged the Colonels in both matches this season. The Bruins won both 3-2, including a win Friday night in Nashville. Belmont jumped out to a 2-0 lead, before the Colonels won sets three and four to force a fifth that went in favor of the Bruins.
Leading 22-21 in the opening set, Drost's kill widened the EKU lead to two. On the ensuing point, Drost and junior
Ciera Koons denied the TSU attack to give the Colonels a set-point opportunity. The Tigers held off EKU momentarily until Knutson sent one out of the reach of the Tiger defense to put the Colonels up 1-0.
The Tigers knotted the score with a 25-20 win in the second, after a 5-0 run midway through the set.
EKU outscored TSU 6-2 late in the set to go ahead 2-1. Sanks and Koons thwarted a TSU attack, giving the Colonels a four-point lead. Another TSU miscue on an attack, followed by a service ace from Koons widened the EKU lead to six, 22-16. Sanks helped secure the set for the Colonels, landing three kills on the next three points.
In the fourth, Drost's first of two straight kills evened the score at 22. On the ensuing point, Drost sent another one past the Tiger defense as the Colonels went up one. TSU miscues helped clinch the win for EKU.
Tennessee State upended EKU in the opening round of last season's tournament in five sets.
