Murray State University Athletics
Volleyball To Face SEMO In Tournament
11/11/2006 6:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The Murray State women's volleyball team will face Southeast Missouri State in the first round of the O'Reilly Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament in Jacksonville, Ala. That match will be played on Thursday at 6 p.m.
The Racers -- seeded third in the tournament -- had to wait until 8 p.m. tonight to find out who their first-round opponent would be. Eastern Kentucky was playing at Tennessee Tech, and if EKU won, Murray State (18-9, 11-5 OVC) would play SEMO (14-17, 8-8 OVC) in the first round. A Tech win would mean the Racers would play Tennessee Tech. Eastern Kentucky won that match 3-2, eliminating TTU from tournament contention.
With that win, Eastern Kentucky (17-13, 10-6 OVC) moved into the No. 4 seed and will play No. 5 Morehead State (20-12, 10-6 OVC) in the tournament-opening match on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Tournament host and top seed Jacksonville State (21-4, 16-0 OVC) will play the winner of that match on Friday at 6 p.m. No. 2 seed Tennessee State (20-13, 12-4 OVC) will play the winner of Murray State-Southeast Missouri State on Friday at 3:30 p.m. The championship match will be Saturday at 2 p.m.
"Southeast Missouri is always a challenge for us, whether in the tournament or during the season," said MSU head coach David Schwepker. "We need to get in the gym and practice and keep going like we have been and get ready for the tournament.
"It's been a great season for OVC volleyball. Usually, there are just a few good teams, but this year, from top to bottom, every team has gotten stronger. There are some very good teams that won't be in the tournament, like Tennessee Tech and Tennessee-Martin. Austin Peay, which doesn't have a great record, gave us two very strong matches this season. This should be a very exciting tournament."
Fans can watch the tournament live via video streaming through OVCsports.TV. For $15.95, fans will have access to every match in the tournament. For more information, visit www.OVCsports.TV.
Murray State is making its first tournament appearance since winning the tournament in 2003. The Racers hold their highest OVC seed since 1997.
