Murray State University Athletics
Volleyball To Play First Matches in Racer Arena
9/25/2008 5:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The Matches
After spending the first four weekends on the road the Murray State volleyball team will be hosting its first opponents of the 2008 campaign in Racer Arena this weekend. The Racers (4-7, 1-1 Ohio Valley Conference) are the last team in the OVC to host a home contest and will face Eastern Kentucky, Friday, Sep. 26 at 7 p.m. MSU then battles with conference leader, Morehead State, Saturday, Sep. 27 at 2 p.m.
About Eastern Kentucky
The Colonels are currently 2-10 overall and 1-2 in the OVC after dropping their last match to Tennessee State, 1-3, in Richmond, Ky.
Lindsey Loescher is the key to Eastern Kentucky's offense as she has been set almost 200 more times than any other member of the squad and has recorded 40 more kills than her teammates. Loescher has made 419 attempts connecting on 122 of them, while Amanda Wilson is the next in each category with 249 attempts and 83 kills. Wilson is also the team's leading blocker, with 16.
Abby O'Connor is the defensive leader for the Colonels with 164 digs. Loescher is next on the list with 82.
As a team Eastern Kentucky is hitting .095 (352k-232e-1265ta), with no team member hitting over .129 on the season. Their opponents are averaging a .287 (551k-176e-1305ta) attack percentage and have a clear advantage in all statistical categories on the year.
Against the Colonels
The Racers were victorious in both regular-season meetings with Eastern Kentucky a year ago.
Sophomore Sara Hayden tallied 22 kills, a .340 (22k-5e-50ta), and added three blocks against the Colonels. Senior Alison Mugler also had a good series against Eastern Kentucky, garnering 18 kills, 24 digs, and three service aces.
The Colonels return three players from the 2007 squad who performed well against MSU. Amanda Wilson had a team-high 30 kills, while hitting .339 (30k-9e-62ta) against the Racers. Amanda Fago was next on the list with 26 kills, 16 digs, and five service aces. Bridget Mustard is the final member of the trio to record 20 plus kills, with 24.
The Series
MSU has been working to even the all-time series with the Colonels over the past two years. The Racers pushed the series to a tie at 25 matches a piece with three wins in the last four meetings, including the last two.
About Morehead State
The Eagles have continued to play strong after finishing first in the OVC standings in 2007, jumping out to a 12-2 mark overall and a 3-0 record in the OVC this season. Morehead State is on a four-match winning streak that dates back to Sep. 13 with a win over Niagara.
In their last outing, the Eagles took five sets to defeat Austin Peay in Morehead State's first home conference match of the season.
The Eagles are ranked among the best in the nation in four statistical categories this year. Their top ranking is in the digs column where they are in the No. 17 position. Morehead State is also ranked 45th in assists, 48th in kills, and 74th in services aces.
Libero Kristina School is doing her part to help the Eagles stay ranked in the digs column, as she is currently ranked No. 18 in the individual digs/set category for her 5.0 digs/set through Sep. 21. Schoo has tallied a conference high 4.82 digs/set on the season.
Offensively Ashley Doscher and Kaitlin Craven are leading Morehead State. Doscher has tallied 163 kills on 437 attempts, while Craven has garnered 145 kills on 472 attacks. The duo has seen almost 200 more sets than any other member of the squad.
The Eagles are also a strong blocking team, with both Erin Peak and Emma Keough tied for the team lead with 44 total blocks.
While Morehead State is strong in most statistical categories this season, it is only averaging a .198 (635k-288e-1855ta) attack percentage. However the Eagles opponents are only tallying a .143 (532k-281e-1752ta) hitting percentage.
Against the Eagles
Sophomore Becca Lamb and Sara Hayden, and senior Alison Mugler had key performances against Morehead State a season ago. Lamb tallied 25 kills and added six blocks, while Mugler and Hayden each tallied 22 kills.
During her career, Mugler has had several strong performances against the Eagles, including both matches during the 2005 campaign where she set three career highs. In the Oct. 7, 2005 match she tallied career highs in blocks (6) and assists (6). She then followed that with a career-high six service aces Oct. 29, 2005.
The top three players for Morehead State also had the best performances against MSU a season ago. Ashley Doscher tallied a team-high 38 kills, while Kaitlin Craven added 29 kills and 19 digs. Defensively Kirstina Schoo came up with 49 digs.
The Series
Saturday's match will be the 53rd meeting in the all-time series between the Racers and the Eagles. Morehead State currently owns a 28-24 advantage in the series, including a win in the last outing, Nov. 3, 2007 in Morehead, but the Racers were victorious in the last meeting in Racer Arena, Oct. 12, 2007.
Tale of Two Seasons
Since the start of OVC competition MSU has made great strides in two statistical categories, hitting percentage and blocks. Overall this season the Racers have a .173 (452k-209e-1406ta) hitting percentage, but have raised that number to .214 (81k-32e-229ta) against conference opponents.
MSU has also stepped up its blocking, with 2.1 blocks/set against league opponents, compared to a 1.6 blocks/set overall this year.
Mugler Moving Up the Lists
Heading into the Crimson Tide Invitational, Mugler needed 22 digs to move up to the No. 6 spot on MSU's all-time digs list. The Maumee, Ohio native tallied nine against South Florida and then added 15 against Samford to exceed the 22 mark.
Mugler's 35 digs on the weekend gave her 1,381 digs in her career and moved her past Kristi Hoffman (1,368) in the standings. Jill McCoy is the next Racer on the list with 1,464, 54 more than Mugler.
Climbing Career Charts
Two members of the 2008 Racer roster have positioned themselves on the Murray State all-time leader boards and are poised to move up on those lists this season.
Besides Alison Mugler, fellow senior Heather Norris finished the 2007 campaign in the No. 2 spot on the all-time digs list. The Naperville, Ill., native now needs just 89 to claim the No. 1 spot from Kim Koehler (1,994). Koehler has owned the record since 1990, prior to the institution of the libero position in 2004.
Mugler Approaching Elite Club
Besides her membership in the 1,000 Dig Club, senior Alison Mugler is approaching membership in the 1,000 Kill Club. The Maumee, Ohio, native is currently 30 kills away from becoming just the eighth member of the club. Mugler will be the first to reach the milestone since 1999 when Krista Shumard ended her career with 1,023 kills. The outside hitter has averaged 305 kills a season and is currently No. 9 on the all-time kill list with 970.
Quick Sets
The Racers extended their winning streak to five matches over the Panthers, with a 3-0 win Tuesday...the streak dates back to the 2006 season...MSU ended the match with nine total team blocks, the most since Aug. 30 when they recorded 10 and 12 team blocks against James Madison and New Hampshire in the JMU/Days Inn Invitational...it was the first match in 2008 that the Racers did not record a single reception error, while also tallying the fewest service errors of the season (4)...the 13 hitting errors registered by MSU was the lowest amount in the 2008 campaign...the Racers ended the final set with an 11-0 run.
After spending the first four weekends on the road the Murray State volleyball team will be hosting its first opponents of the 2008 campaign in Racer Arena this weekend. The Racers (4-7, 1-1 Ohio Valley Conference) are the last team in the OVC to host a home contest and will face Eastern Kentucky, Friday, Sep. 26 at 7 p.m. MSU then battles with conference leader, Morehead State, Saturday, Sep. 27 at 2 p.m.
About Eastern Kentucky
The Colonels are currently 2-10 overall and 1-2 in the OVC after dropping their last match to Tennessee State, 1-3, in Richmond, Ky.
Lindsey Loescher is the key to Eastern Kentucky's offense as she has been set almost 200 more times than any other member of the squad and has recorded 40 more kills than her teammates. Loescher has made 419 attempts connecting on 122 of them, while Amanda Wilson is the next in each category with 249 attempts and 83 kills. Wilson is also the team's leading blocker, with 16.
Abby O'Connor is the defensive leader for the Colonels with 164 digs. Loescher is next on the list with 82.
As a team Eastern Kentucky is hitting .095 (352k-232e-1265ta), with no team member hitting over .129 on the season. Their opponents are averaging a .287 (551k-176e-1305ta) attack percentage and have a clear advantage in all statistical categories on the year.
Against the Colonels
The Racers were victorious in both regular-season meetings with Eastern Kentucky a year ago.
Sophomore Sara Hayden tallied 22 kills, a .340 (22k-5e-50ta), and added three blocks against the Colonels. Senior Alison Mugler also had a good series against Eastern Kentucky, garnering 18 kills, 24 digs, and three service aces.
The Colonels return three players from the 2007 squad who performed well against MSU. Amanda Wilson had a team-high 30 kills, while hitting .339 (30k-9e-62ta) against the Racers. Amanda Fago was next on the list with 26 kills, 16 digs, and five service aces. Bridget Mustard is the final member of the trio to record 20 plus kills, with 24.
The Series
MSU has been working to even the all-time series with the Colonels over the past two years. The Racers pushed the series to a tie at 25 matches a piece with three wins in the last four meetings, including the last two.
About Morehead State
The Eagles have continued to play strong after finishing first in the OVC standings in 2007, jumping out to a 12-2 mark overall and a 3-0 record in the OVC this season. Morehead State is on a four-match winning streak that dates back to Sep. 13 with a win over Niagara.
In their last outing, the Eagles took five sets to defeat Austin Peay in Morehead State's first home conference match of the season.
The Eagles are ranked among the best in the nation in four statistical categories this year. Their top ranking is in the digs column where they are in the No. 17 position. Morehead State is also ranked 45th in assists, 48th in kills, and 74th in services aces.
Libero Kristina School is doing her part to help the Eagles stay ranked in the digs column, as she is currently ranked No. 18 in the individual digs/set category for her 5.0 digs/set through Sep. 21. Schoo has tallied a conference high 4.82 digs/set on the season.
Offensively Ashley Doscher and Kaitlin Craven are leading Morehead State. Doscher has tallied 163 kills on 437 attempts, while Craven has garnered 145 kills on 472 attacks. The duo has seen almost 200 more sets than any other member of the squad.
The Eagles are also a strong blocking team, with both Erin Peak and Emma Keough tied for the team lead with 44 total blocks.
While Morehead State is strong in most statistical categories this season, it is only averaging a .198 (635k-288e-1855ta) attack percentage. However the Eagles opponents are only tallying a .143 (532k-281e-1752ta) hitting percentage.
Against the Eagles
Sophomore Becca Lamb and Sara Hayden, and senior Alison Mugler had key performances against Morehead State a season ago. Lamb tallied 25 kills and added six blocks, while Mugler and Hayden each tallied 22 kills.
During her career, Mugler has had several strong performances against the Eagles, including both matches during the 2005 campaign where she set three career highs. In the Oct. 7, 2005 match she tallied career highs in blocks (6) and assists (6). She then followed that with a career-high six service aces Oct. 29, 2005.
The top three players for Morehead State also had the best performances against MSU a season ago. Ashley Doscher tallied a team-high 38 kills, while Kaitlin Craven added 29 kills and 19 digs. Defensively Kirstina Schoo came up with 49 digs.
The Series
Saturday's match will be the 53rd meeting in the all-time series between the Racers and the Eagles. Morehead State currently owns a 28-24 advantage in the series, including a win in the last outing, Nov. 3, 2007 in Morehead, but the Racers were victorious in the last meeting in Racer Arena, Oct. 12, 2007.
Tale of Two Seasons
Since the start of OVC competition MSU has made great strides in two statistical categories, hitting percentage and blocks. Overall this season the Racers have a .173 (452k-209e-1406ta) hitting percentage, but have raised that number to .214 (81k-32e-229ta) against conference opponents.
MSU has also stepped up its blocking, with 2.1 blocks/set against league opponents, compared to a 1.6 blocks/set overall this year.
Mugler Moving Up the Lists
Heading into the Crimson Tide Invitational, Mugler needed 22 digs to move up to the No. 6 spot on MSU's all-time digs list. The Maumee, Ohio native tallied nine against South Florida and then added 15 against Samford to exceed the 22 mark.
Mugler's 35 digs on the weekend gave her 1,381 digs in her career and moved her past Kristi Hoffman (1,368) in the standings. Jill McCoy is the next Racer on the list with 1,464, 54 more than Mugler.
Climbing Career Charts
Two members of the 2008 Racer roster have positioned themselves on the Murray State all-time leader boards and are poised to move up on those lists this season.
Besides Alison Mugler, fellow senior Heather Norris finished the 2007 campaign in the No. 2 spot on the all-time digs list. The Naperville, Ill., native now needs just 89 to claim the No. 1 spot from Kim Koehler (1,994). Koehler has owned the record since 1990, prior to the institution of the libero position in 2004.
Mugler Approaching Elite Club
Besides her membership in the 1,000 Dig Club, senior Alison Mugler is approaching membership in the 1,000 Kill Club. The Maumee, Ohio, native is currently 30 kills away from becoming just the eighth member of the club. Mugler will be the first to reach the milestone since 1999 when Krista Shumard ended her career with 1,023 kills. The outside hitter has averaged 305 kills a season and is currently No. 9 on the all-time kill list with 970.
Quick Sets
The Racers extended their winning streak to five matches over the Panthers, with a 3-0 win Tuesday...the streak dates back to the 2006 season...MSU ended the match with nine total team blocks, the most since Aug. 30 when they recorded 10 and 12 team blocks against James Madison and New Hampshire in the JMU/Days Inn Invitational...it was the first match in 2008 that the Racers did not record a single reception error, while also tallying the fewest service errors of the season (4)...the 13 hitting errors registered by MSU was the lowest amount in the 2008 campaign...the Racers ended the final set with an 11-0 run.
Indiana State VS Murray State | MVC Baseball Tournament | Game Highlights
Friday, May 22
Evansville VS Murray State | Women's Basketball Game Highlights
Saturday, February 28
Head Coach Rechelle Turner | Racer Basketball | 2/26/26 Post Game Press Conference
Friday, February 27
Thomas & Pena | Racer Basketball | 2/26/26 Post Game Press Conference
Friday, February 27
