CHARLESTON, Ill. – SIUE volleyball rounded out its season with a straight-set loss to Morehead State in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
 
The Eagles took the first two sets 25-18 and 25-19, then closed out the match with a 25-10 win in the third.
 
SIUE opened the third set with a kill from Sophie Robinson and built early momentum. A kill by Teagan Sullivan sparked a four-point run that put the Cougars ahead 9-7. Later, another Robinson kill started a second four-point run, giving SIUE a 15-10 lead.
 
But MSU responded with a pair of scoring runs that swung the set, and match, in their favor.  
 
SIUE finished their season 12-18 overall and 7-11 in OVC play. The Eagles will advance to the next round of the tournament with a 22-8 record overall and 15-3 in OVC play.
 
Robinson led the team with nine kills while Grace Nichols and Kyndia Smith had six kills each. Paige Bernstein posted 14 assists and was followed by Ally Hughes with 10.
 
Sullivan, Bernstein and Robinson each had one ace during the match, while Freshman Kinley Quast led the defense seven digs.
 
As a team the Cougars had 31 kills, three aces, three blocks, 27 assists and 33 digs compared to the Eagles 47 kills, five aces, six blocks, 41 assists and 40 digs.