Murray State University Athletics
Volleyball Performing Well in Offseason Tournaments
4/7/2008 5:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
In today's collegiate athletics world, there is no real off-season. The student-athletes still work hard in the classroom and work hard on the court to perfect every skill in order to come back hungry for the next season.
The Murray State volleyball team is no different, as six returning players (juniors Heather Norris and Alison Mugler, sophomore Cassie Chesney, and freshmen Becca Lamb, Ashley Nenninger, and Sara Hayden) have shown that the results are paying off, as the Racers have excelled in two of their four scheduled spring tournaments so far.
The first tournament, hosted by Ole Miss, was held on March 29 at the Gillom Sports Center in Oxford, Miss. and included seven teams: Ole Miss, Murray State, Arkansas State, Christian Brothers, Memphis, Samford, and North Alabama. In this tournament, the Racers finished with a record of 7-5, placing third in the tournament behind host Ole Miss and Samford. Murray State defeated Arkansas State and Christian Brothers, split with Ole Miss, Memphis, and North Alabama, and lost to Samford.
"I was really pleased with how my team performed," said head coach David Schwepker, who will be coaching in his 11th season at Murray State in 2008. "We are working on a particular offense and when we are in system, it really works well. The girls were happy with their progress and are back in the gym working hard to get better."
The next tournament was hosted by Austin Peay and took place on April 5 at the Dunn Center in Clarksville, Tenn. There, the Racers took home the tournament title, going undefeated in a field that included Jefferson College, Lipscomb, Tennessee Tech, Trevecca, and Vincennes. Murray State capped off the tournament victory with a victory over Austin Peay in straight sets, 26-24, and 25-17.
"Our athletes stayed in system much better this weekend," Schwepker said. "We passed very well, the setting was excellent, our defense was very good, and our offense is looking really good."
The next tournament on the spring schedule is set for this weekend, April 12, in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The tournament field is set to include host Southeast Missouri, Tennessee-
The last scheduled tournament is hosted by Southern Illinois on April 19 at Davies Gym in Carbondale, Ill. MSU will be one of 12 teams in the tournament, including Southern Illinois, Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Eastern Illinois, John A. Logan, Arkansas State, Southern Indiana, Shawnee, Tennessee-Martin, Jefferson College, and Missouri S&T.
