EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.— The Cougars fell short in their opening game of OVC play at home with scores of 25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 25-18.

"We passed well this evening and executed a game plan early," commented Head Women's Volleyball Coach Kendall Paulus. "We knew that they would make adjustments during the match, but we were not able to respond to those well."

The Cougars totaled 59 kills on the evening, while hitting .258.

Leading the way for the team was Rachel McDonald who had 16 kills and Kiana Fields who contributed 10. The team had multiple players who ended the night hitting over .300 including McDonald, Fields, Gabby Wimes and Savannah Christian Also for the Cougars, Mallory Nicholson recorded a double-double of 24 assists and 13 digs.

"This team has no idea of what they are capable of doing," Paulus added. "We are neck and neck in every set and we continue to battle. As a team, we need to keep grinding it out and it will eventually click."

The Cougars are back in action on Saturday, when they host another OVC opponent, Murray State with a start time of 2 p.m.