Murray State
Morehead State
Volleyball Shuts Out Morehead State 3-0
10/6/2006 5:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The Murray State women's volleyball team shut out Ohio Valley Conference co-leader Morehead State 3-0 in the Racers' home opener tonight.
Racer defense was the key to the win, as Murray State (12-3, 4-1 OVC) repelled 84 digs to Morehead State's 67, and had 13 blocks to the Eagles' three.
"I thought our team executed well tonight," said Racer head coach David Schwepker. "Everybody was pumped up to be at home, and we had a great crowd. Our girls did a good job as a team. Morehead State hit the ball hard, but we dug those hard hits, and that took them out of their game."
In the first game, the Racers trailed by as much as 13-10 before chipping away at Morehead State's lead. Trailing 16-15, Murray State ran off two points behind the serving of Alyssa Groves to take a 17-16 lead. A kill by Morehead's Erin Peak knotted the game at 17-17, but the Racers scored six straight points behind the serving of Cassie Chesney to take a 23-17 lead. The Racers held that lead to win the first game 30-24. The first game featured 11 ties and four lead changes.
In the second game, Morehead State (14-7, 4-1 OVC) led 14-8 before the Racers again mounted a comeback, scoring eight straight points behind the serving of Heather Norris to take a 16-14 lead. The Eagles kept within a point of Murray State, but with Morehead State leading 22-21, the Racers scored eight straight points behind Chesney to get to game point, 29-22, winning Game 2 30-23. The second game featured eight ties.
In the third game, Murray State again trailed, 7-2, before trimming the deficit to 8-7. Trailing 13-10, the Racers ran off nine straight points behind Norris to take a 19-13 lead and held the lead for the 30-19 win.
Murray State was led by Alison Mugler's 13 kills, hitting .345 with three errors in 29 attacks. Holly Jansen added 12 kills, hitting .400 with two errors in 25 attacks.
Norris had a match-high 27 digs in the match, averaging 9.00 per game, well abover her 5.92 average which ranked 14th in the nation this week. Mugler and Tara DeMage had 14 digs apiece for the Racers, while Groves had 10. Katie Kemezys had a match-high six blocks for Murray State, while Jansen and DeMage had five apiece. Chesney handed out a match-high 37 assists for the Racers.
For Morehead State, Laura Cox had 12 kills, while Ashley Doscher had nine and Peak had eight. Kristina Schoo led the Eagle defense with 14 digs, while Katelyn Barbour had 11 and Peak and Johanna Thompson had 10 each. Barbour handed out 30 assists for Morehead State.
Murray State remains a match behind first-place Jacksonville State (11-4, 5-0 OVC), which shut out Austin Peay tonight. The Racers host Eastern Kentucky tomorrow (Saturday) at 2 p.m. in Racer Arena. Admission is free.
