Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
UT Martin
No. 3 Racers Advance to OVC Semifinals with 3-0 Sweep of No. 6 UT Martin
11/20/2008 6:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The Racers (17-12, 13-5 OVC) were led by sophomore Sara Hayden, who tallied 13 kills, two blocks, and a .357 (13k-3e-28ta) hitting percentage. Hayden was one of three MSU players to record double-digit kill totals, as sophomore Becca Lamb and freshman Logan Su each added 10. Defensively senior Alison Mugler and freshman Kayleah Sauer led the way with 12 and 11 digs, respectively.
The first set started out slow for the Racers who found themselves down 1-3 early on. The Skyhawks kept the advantage until MSU forced an 8-8 tie and took the lead 9-8 with 4-0 run. The score remained knotted for the next seven serves until UT Martin went on a 2-0 run to take back the advantage. The Skyhawks again held on to the lead and pushed it to six (14-20) before MSU picked up the intensity and went on a 5-1 run to cut the advantage to two (19-21). UTM pushed back out with a 2-0 run before the Racers ended the set with a 6-0 run to earn the 25-23 win.
“Bottom line ? we were playing too nervous and tense at the beginning of the match,” said head coach David Schwepker. “But once we calmed down we stopped making errors that we shouldn't make and things turned in our favor.”
MSU again found themselves down early in the second set 2-4. The Racers then went on a 4-0 run to take the lead for good in the set. MSU was up by one or two points until it started a 4-0 run with the score reading 13-11 to go up by four. From that point it was all Racers, as they allowed the Skyhawks to score only four more points the rest of the set on way to a 25-15 win.
UT Martin came out of the intermission with renewed confidence, as the teams traded the first eight serves before MSU took the first lead of the set larger than one point with a 4-0 run to go up 8-4. The Skyhawks then battled back to tie the set at eight with a 4-0 run of their own. The remained entangled for the next 10 serves before a kill from 2008 OVC Freshman of the Year Jade Guo gave the Racers a two-point advantage. The block also started MSU on a 6-1 run that earned a 20-14 lead. The Racers continued to play strong and finished the third set with a 5-4 run to earn the 25-18 victory.
MSU played a well-rounded game earning higher totals in all statistical categories over the Skyhawks. The biggest advantages for the Racers were in kills and blocks. MSU tallied 51 kills to UT Martin's 37. The Skyhawks came into the match averaging 1.3 blocks per game, but did not earn a single block in the match, with the Racers tallying four total team blocks.
“The biggest thing that will help us for tomorrow is getting used to this gym and getting over those jitters you saw in the opening set,” Schwepker commented. “The last two years we have lost in the first round so getting over that barrier is big, especially for our seniors Alison Mugler and Heather Norris.”
MSU will now face No. 2 Morehead State, Friday, Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. in the semifinals of the OVC Volleyball Championship.
Notes: Prior to the start of the match freshman Jade Guo, Kayleah Sauer, and
Logan Su received their All-OVC honors...Tim MacAllister from the Murray State News is posting live updates at www.thenews.org through out the tournament..the Racers are 20-4 when moving past the quarterfinal round during OVC tournament action.
Quotes
Head Coach David Schwepker
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“The key tonight was settling down. When we were able to do that it put all the pressure on UT Martin. That allowed us to get a few blocks and get back into the style of play that we practice everyday.”
