Box Score

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A season-high 16 Golden Eagles factored in the game as the University of Charleston volleyball team easily handled Ohio Valley, Friday evening to start the homecoming festivities.

OVU (3-18) got the first touch to open the contest and from that point on the game night never leaned in their favor. Elle Martin (Las Cruces, NM) took control of the first set with 13-straight serves that included four aces to lead Charleston (8-10) out to a 13-1 advantage. From the big start UC ran three large groups of substitutions in and out of the game, while still holding the comfortable lead throughout the rest of the set as the lineup combinations committed only four errors to hit .242 in a 25-11 victory.

The second set saw an entirely new lineup start on the court from the first set, yet the same results ensued. Ohio Valley battled to an 8-8 deadlock before a 12-4 run by the Golden Eagles again gave plenty of distance on the scoreboard. For the second consecutive set Charleston had only four attack errors en route to a 25-16 set win.

Set three nearly mirrored the start of the second set with the Fighting Scots holding tight to an 8-8 score before a long run by UC put the set in hand. Back-to-back service aces by Kaitlyn Farley (Bridgeport, WV) jump started the University of Charleston offense the home team to pull away 15-10 in front of a large homecoming crowd that created plenty of noise down the stretch. With a contest low three attack errors the Golden Eagles hit 28 percent to secure the 25-18 win and move to 3-1 in West Virginia Conference play.

The scoring was spread across the board with many players seeing extended minutes, yet leading-scorer Malleri Hardison (Uniontown, PA) paced UC on the night with eight kills and seven digs. Katharine Furlong (Sedona, AZ) and Brenna Youlton (Chatham, Canada) followed close behind with five kills each, while Farley provided a great spark at the service line with a game-high six aces.

On the defensive side libero Ashley Douglas (Amherstburg, Canada) paced Charleston with 17 digs. Kelsey Eby (Portland, OR) and Marisa Grifka (Rochester, MI) each had double-digit assists as Eby collected 17 and Grifka 14.

UC hits the road for their next WVIAC contest at Fairmont State on Wednesday, Oct. 9 for a 7:00 pm contest.