Volleyball sweeps Albany to win Middle Tennessee Invitational

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - After sweeping UAB in the morning, the Middle Tennessee volleyball team knocked off defending America East Conference champion Albany 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-19) in the championship game of the Middle Tennessee Invitational at Alumni Memorial Gym on Saturday.

"That was a great win for us," said head coach Matt Peck. "We lost to them last year, and we played a great match against a really good team this time. I was very pleased with the play of Ashley Adams this weekend. She stepped in for Alyssa, who's out with an injury. Iza had a great weekend too. We've now won four in a row, and that's a big plus for us as a young team."

Izabela Kozon and Ashley Adams led the way for a Blue Raider offense that outhit the Great Danes .408 to .262. Kozon notched a match-high 18 kills at an outstanding .531 rate, and Adams finished second on the team with 17 at a .367 clip. Maria Szivos tallied 9 kills and hit .471. Morgan Peterson dished out a match-high 29 assists.

Following the match, Kozon was honored with the Tournament MVP award. Both Szivos and Adams also earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

Defensively, Brynne Henderson recorded 12 digs. Kozon finished second in the category with eight, ending her streak of double-doubles at six matches.

The weekend marked yet another Middle Tennessee Invitational dominated by the Blue Raiders. Since the yearly event was renewed in 2008, Middle Tennessee carries a sterling 9-0 record, featuring a remarkable five sweeps.

Middle Tennessee will now prepare for a trio of games next weekend in Denver, including the conference opener against Denver on Friday evening. On the following day, the Blue Raiders will face 23rd-ranked Long Beach State and VCU.

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