Box Score | Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery

OXFORD, Ohio -- In front of a record breaking crowd, the Miami University volleyball team dropped a hard-fought match to Western Kentucky, 1-3 (22-25, 20-25, 27-25, 19-25) to open play the Miami Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational on Friday. The RedHawks are now 0-1 on the season, while the Lady Toppers are 2-0.

"I felt the fight and the teamwork was real strong throughout the match," said head coach Carolyn Condit. "We started two to three who had never started before and we're young in some positions, but when you take on a formidable team like Western Kentucky you know you are going to get good serving, good blocking and they are going to do a great job on defense. That doesn't leave an opponent much room to make mistakes."

Junior outside hitter Stela Kukoc had a strong overall match to lead Miami. She recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs. She was joined in double-figure kills by sophomore middle hitter Margaret Payne and senior right side hitter Katie Tomasic who finished with 10 kills each. With the Miami freshmen on campus and attending the Love and Honor Pep Rally earlier at Yager, they were then treated to their first RedHawk athletic competition. A record 2,056 fans were inside Millett, more than doubling the previous attendance record of 1,006.

Despite kills from Kukoc, Payne and senior right side hitter Courtney Bemis, Western Kentucky was able to build a 14-8 lead to begin set on. A kill from Kukoc off an assist by redshirt junior setter Mackenzie Zielinski got the RedHawk offense moving, but the Lady Toppers were able to push the advantage to eight at 19-11. Back-to-back kills from sophomore outside hitter Taylor Daignault and sophomore middle hitter Haley Stewart started a 10-2 run that pulled Miami to within one at 21-22. Back-to-back kills from Payne completed that stretch. After a WKU point, Kukoc made it 22-23 with another kills. The Lady Toppers answered with two straight to take a 25-22 win.

Set two started out tight as the teams traded side outs. A kill from Bemis put the `Hawks in front, 11-10. Tied at 12, four straight points from the Lady Toppers put them in control. Kukoc, Daignault and Tomasic each had kills, but Western Kentucky eventually hung on for a 25-20 victory.

Trailing 8-9 in set three, kills from Tomasic and Payne, along with three blocks by Payne were part of six straight points for Miami that put it on top, 14-10. WKU closed to within two at 15-17, but a kill from junior middle hitter Courtney Simons off an assist from freshman setter Morgan Seaman helped keep the RedHawks momentum going. A kill from Tomasic made it 23-19, but the Lady Toppers scored four straight points to tie the score. The teams traded side outs as Miami was unsuccessful in its first two attempts to close out the set. With the scored tied at 25, two straight kills from senior outside hitter Olivia Rusek gave the Red and White a 27-25 win.

It started out well for Miami in set four as Payne and Rusek each had kills, while a block from Kukoc and Payne gave the RedHawks a 4-2 lead. Tied at six, Western Kentucky went on a 10-2 run that gave it a 16-8 advantage. MU did not give up as a Lady Toppers service error, followed by back-to-back kills from Tomasic and Kukoc made it 11-16. Kukoc recorded a couple more kills, but the `Hawks were unable to get the deficit under five points as WKU took a 25-19 victory and a 3-1 win in the match.

Daignault had eight kills and 14 digs, while Bemis and Rusek had five kills each. Payne led the RedHawks with four blocks, while senior libero Maeve McDonald finished with 20 digs. Zielinski just missed a double-double with a team-leading 26 assists to go along with nine digs.

The RedHawks complete play at the Miami Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational with two more matches on Saturday. MU takes on Southern Illinois at 11:30 a.m. and Northern Arizona at 5 p.m.