Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Eastern Kentucky
Volleyball Pushes Past EKU 3-1
10/7/2006 5:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The Murray State women's volleyball team found itself in a battle at Racer Arena this afternoon, as visiting Eastern Kentucky kept fighting. Finally, after a hard-fought, toe-to-toe skirmish in Game 4, the Racers came out on top, 3-1. Game scores were 23-30, 30-13, 30-27, 30-27.
Both teams executed a hard-nosed game plan, as MSU (13-3, 5-1 OVC) had 73 kills and 117 digs, while EKU (9-11, 2-4 OVC) had 65 kills and 104 digs. Early in Game 4, sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Groves lunged to get a dig, falling to the floor. Freshman setter Cassie Chesney passed the ball her way, and Groves scored a kill from her knees.
Murray State (13-3, 5-1 OVC) trailed 22-19 in Game 4 before mounting a comeback, scoring seven of the next nine points to take a 26-24 lead. Eastern Kentucky (9-11, 2-4 OVC) got a sideout on a kill from Denise Grundhoefer, then scored two more points on a kill by Bridget Mustard and an ace from Grundhoefer.
Murray State called a timeout and responded quickly, getting a sideout on a kill by senior Holly Jansen to tie the game at 27-27. Behind the serving of Chesney, MSU scored the last three points of the game, using a block by sophomore Alison Mugler, a kill by Jansen and a kill by junior Tara DeMage to win the match.
"Our team just did not execute well in Game 1," said MSU head coach David Schwepker. "We didn't do what we try to do every day."
In the last three games of the match, while both teams showed a tough offense, the Racers appeared sharper than they did in Game 1.
"I think the more we play together and get more comfortable with each other, the better we will become," Schwepker said. "Time is what it takes for a setter and the hitters to gel, and we are getting there."
Senior Katie Kemezys led Murray State with 22 kills, hitting .396 with three errors in 48 attacks. Jansen had 20 kills with a .444 percentage, getting four errors in 36 attacks. Mugler added 12 kills, while DeMage had 10.
Sophomore Heather Norris had a team-high 27 digs for the Racers, while Chesney added 23, Mugler had 20, DeMage had 18 and Groves had 17. Jansen and Mugler had a match-high four blocks each, while Groves and DeMage had two each. Chesney handed out a match-high 61 assists for MSU.
Eastern Kentucky was led by Jessica Sabath, who had a match-high 23 kills. Grundhoefer had 16 kills, while Mustard had 13.
Brittany Nobilio won the battle between the conference's top two liberos with 28 digs. Kelly Jennings had 20 digs for the Lady Colonels, while Abbey Blank and Sabath had 19 each. Blank served up three aces, while Jennings had 55 assists for EKU.
This weekend's sweep of Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky marks only the seventh time for Murray State to sweep that series at home in 19 years, but the fifth time in the last 11 seasons and the fourth in Schwepker's nine-year tenure at Murray State.
The Racers remain a match behind first-place Jacksonville State (12-4, 6-0 OVC).
Murray State continues its four-match homestand with a rematch against Schwepker's alma mater, Southeast Missouri State, on Friday at 7 p.m. The Racers won their first meeting this season at Cape Girardeau, Mo. The match will be played in Racer Arena, and admission is free.
