Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Tennessee Tech
Racers Advance to OVC Semifinals with 3-1 Victory over Tennessee Tech
11/19/2009 4:03:24 PM | Women's Volleyball
“Anytime you can get a win in a tournament is exciting,” said head coach David Schwepker. “The first round is one of the toughest because everyone is thinking too much and it takes a while to settle down. I think that the attitude that we needed was there and we were able to do what we needed to do to win today.”
The Racers (13-17, 11-7 OVC) were led by junior Ashley Nenninger. The Marble Hill, Mo., native tallied a season-best .467 (16k-2e-30ta) hitting percentage and added a block solo. MSU also saw double-digit kill performances from sophomore Logan Su (17) and junior Becca Lamb (12). Lamb was also a key on defense, recording her second career double-double by adding 13 digs.
“The .467 hitting percentage that Ashley Nenninger had today is unreal for an outside hitter,” said Schwepker. “Last year she didn't have a great tournament and I think that she wants to come out and do well this time.”
The defense was led by 2009 OVC Defensive Player of the Year, sophomore Kayleah Sauer, who tallied 24 digs. Sauer was one of four players with double-digit dig totals, as senior Cassie Chesney added 16 and sophomore Jade Guo garnered 10 to go with her 49 assists. The double-double by Guo was the fifth of the year for the DaTong, Shanxi, China native.
The Racers earned the first point of the match and then saw the Golden Eagles (10-18, 9-9 OVC) go on a 3-0 run to take the first lead of the set. TTU kept the lead between one to four points through the middle of the set. MSU kept cutting the deficit to one point and then seeing it increase back to four before the scoreboard read 16-14 in favor of the Golden Eagles. The Racers then started a 5-0 run that not only tied the set at 16, but gave them their first lead of the set. MSU never relinquished the lead and went on to take the 25-23 win. TTU made it a fight for the final point, holding off two set-points before Nenninger landed a kill in the back corner for the win.
The Golden Eagles took the first point of the second set and it was MSU's turn to go on a 3-0 run to take the lead. TTU tied the set at three, but a Racers' 3-0 run followed and gave them the momentum to keep control of the scoreboard through the set. MSU increased its lead to as many as seven (18-11), before the Golden Eagles started a 3-0 run to cut the deficit to four. The Racers responded with a 4-1 run to regain the momentum. TTU tried one more two-point run late in the set to cut the lead to four, but MSU took the 25-21 win into the 10-minute intermission.
The third set was a back-and-forth battle for control. MSU took control at the beginning with a 3-1 lead, but the Golden Eagles tied it at three. The teams then traded runs and forced ties at five, six and eight before the Racers took the lead again with a 3-0 run. The teams then traded runs and the MSU lead was up to four points. TTU was not done fighting, as they started a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the set (17-15). The Racers pushed back and tied the set at 17 and the battle continued with ties at every point to 20. The Golden Eagles then pushed ahead with a 3-1 run before MSU tied the set at 23. TTU earned the 25-23 win to force a fourth set.
The Racers didn't let the loss of set three get them down, coming out strong in set four with a 3-0 run in the fourth set. MSU kept building its lead and only allowed the Golden Eagles to get within five points through the set on its way to a 25-16 win.
The Racers recorded a .318 (63k-15e-151ta) hitting percentage in the match, while holding the Golden Eagles to a .219 (61k-24e-169ta) mark. MSU hit over .400 in two of the four sets in the match, with .463 (20k-1e-41ta) and .414 (15k-3e-29ta) hitting percentages in sets two and four, respectively.
“As a team to hit above .300, especially in a tournament match like this is great,” Schwepker added. “All of our hitters did well tonight and that is exactly what we need to do to keep winning.”
The Racers move onto the first semifinal match of the tournament, Saturday, Nov. 20 at 4:30 p.m. MSU will face No. 1 Jacksonville State at Pete Mathews Coliseum. This will be just the second meeting in the OVC tournament between the two teams, with the first coming in the semifinals of the 2006 tournament. The Racers earned a 3-0 victory in that meeting on way to win the championship title.
Notes: MSU is 6-6 in semifinal matches in the OVC tournament.
Head Coach David Schwepker
“We knew Becca was capable of producing defensively for us and that is what she is proving now. We put her in that defensive position early in the season and she has really helped us where we needed this year on both offense and defense.”
