Volleyball sweeps Troy on Senior Night

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Both Izabela Kozon and Sasha McGlothin made the most of their senior night, leading the Middle Tennessee volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-23) sweep of Troy at Alumni Memorial Gym on Saturday evening.

"Our two seniors had a great match, and I think that was a nice exclamation point for their careers here," head coach Matt Peck said. "Troy played us tough, but in crunch time, Izabela and Sasha were putting the ball away and leading the team. I couldn't have asked for a better ending for their senior night. It was a great send-off for them."

The duo of McGlothin and Kozon, the only Blue Raider seniors this season, were the primary sources of the offense for much of the match, led by Kozon's 13 kills at a .370 clip. McGlothin tied a career-high for kills with 11 and hit .389.

Maria Szivos also reached double figures in kills with 12.

Setting duties were split between Angela Peyton and Morgan Peterson, tallying 32 and 15 assists, respectively, and directing an MT offense that outhit Troy .325 to .206.

Brynne Henderson anchored the defense with 13 digs. Kozon was also solid defensively for Middle Tennessee, collecting 10 digs for her ninth double-double of the season.

At the net, Szivos, McGlothin and Waller each totaled two block assists.

McGlothin led the Blue Raiders to a 25-21 first set victory. The native of Abilene, Texas, tallied six kills in the set as MT out hit the Trojans in the frame .429 to .243. Neither team could create separation for much of the set, as the teams tied on four occasions. However, Middle Tennessee would run off seven of the last eight points to grab a 1-0 lead.

Kozon caught fire with six kills in the second frame to lead MT to a 25-20 win. The Blue Raiders grabbed an early 5-3 lead, and wouldn't look back, taking a 2-0 match lead into the break.

Middle Tennessee completed the sweep with a hard-fought 25-20 third set victory. Kozon once again led the Blue Raiders in the frame with five kills, and Lindsay Cheatham also came up big with four kills in just five attempts. MT led for much of the frame, but the Trojans kept it close, tying it up on nine occasions, including at 21-21. However, the Blue Raiders recorded four of the final six points, culminating with a Kozon kill to seal the deal.

The Blue Raiders (24-5 14-1 SBC) will now prepare for next Friday's showdown in Bowling Green with arch-rival Western Kentucky to decide the regular season Sun Belt title.

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