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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – In its second match of the day, the Eastern Kentucky University volleyball team beat Iona University, 3-0, on Friday at the Boston College Invitational. The Colonels suffered a 3-0 loss to Texas Tech in their first match of the day.
Iona started strong, jumping out to a 5-1 lead in the opening set and building a 10-5 edge after a kill from Jen Soto. EKU (1-1) answered with a 9-2 run. Carson Ledford kicked off the run with a kill. A solo block from Paige Wagers tied it at 12-12. A kill from Sarah Mitchell finished the run and put the Colonels on top 14-12. EKU never trailed again in the set. Ledford gave her team set-point at 24-20 before an Iona attack error finished it.
The Colonels scored the first seven points of the second set and rolled to a 25-11 win. Iona scored first in the third set, but EKU put up the next eight points to seize control again. Mitchell’s kill stretched the margin to eight, 14-6. The Gaels closed to within three, 16-13, before the Colonels scored the final nine points of the match. A kill from Wagers and an Iona attach error ended the set 25-13.
Kambree Lucas posted a match-best 11 kills. Ledford finished with seven kills, a .636 attack percentage and six blocks. Wagers had six kills and five blocks. Josie Schmitendorf led all players with 21 digs and Emilee Hill had a match-high 33 assists.
EKU totaled 43 kills, compared to just 23 for Iona (0-1). The Colonels out-blocked the Gaels 11-4 and had a 5-1 advantage in aces.
In the first match, Texas Tech jumped out to a 10-3 lead to start the first set, but the Colonels came all the way back. A 10-3 EKU run knotted the set at 13-13. AG Vandagriff capped the run with back-to-back kills. Emily Merrick recorded a kill on the next series to give the Red Raiders the lead for good on their way to a 25-20 win.
Tech scored five of the first six points of the second set and never trailed. After the Red Raiders reached set-point, 24-13 on a block by Aliyah McDonald, the Colonels responded by scoring six straight. Blocks by Wagers and Mitchell finished the quick run. Merrick’s kill on the next series ended the set and staked Texas Tech to a 2-0 lead.
A 7-1 TTU run in the third set opened up a 16-7 lead. Blocks from Reagan Leinen and Mia Wesley ended the set, 25-13, and the match.
Mitchell had a team-high 13 kills for EKU. Vandagriff added eight kills with a .400 attack percentage.
The opening weekend of the season concludes for the Colonels on Saturday against host Boston College at 12 p.m. on the ACC Network Extra.
