Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
UT Martin
Racers Extend Winning Streak to Three with Sweep of UT Martin
11/5/2009 3:58:02 PM | Women's Volleyball
“Obviously we need to continue to win to secure a spot in the conference tournament,” said head coach David Schwepker. “But it is positive to see this team winning on the road and playing hard while doing so.”
MSU was led by sophomore Logan Su, who tallied an impressive .607 (17k-0e-28ta) hitting percentage, which ties Lilly Zhan for the best hitting percentage in a set with 25-or-more attempts in school history. Junior Ashley Nenninger was also in double-digits in the kill's column for the Racers, with 11. Sophomore Kayleah Sauer tallied a team-high 20 digs for MSU. MSU combined for a season-best .396 (48k-10e-96ta) hitting percentage.
“Logan had a great match tonight,” Schwepker said. “She has been improving all season and we need her to be playing at her best at the end of the season.”
The Racers struggled to get into a rhythm early in the first set and the Skyhawks jumped out to an early 6-3 advantage. Su was the only player who could get something going for MSU at the start of the match, earning the Racers first three points of the match. MSU then quickly rebounded and got the communication going on its side of the net and tied the match at seven, with a 4-1 run. The teams then battled back-and-forth causing several ties and lead changes before the Racers took control of the set with a 3-0 run as the scoreboard read 18-18. MSU kept pushing the pace of the match and allowed UTM to score just two more points on the way to a 25-20 win.
UTM kept the second set close at the start and built a three-point lead (9-6) before the Racers regained the momentum of the match with a 6-0 run to go up 12-9. MSU didn't allow the Skyhawks to tally more than two points in a row the rest of the set, and added an 8-0 run late, before earning the 25-17 win to go up 2-0 heading into the intermission.
The Racers earned the first two points of the third set, but then UTM took control of the set going on a 6-1 run to take the lead. The Skyhawks built their lead to six points (11-5) as MSU struggled to regain its composure, recording four errors during the stretch. The Racers then chipped away at the UTM lead, cutting it to one (12-11) before the Skyhawks again pushed ahead with a 6-1 run (18-12). The teams then traded the next few servers before MSU again mounted a come-back, down 22-14, with a 9-1 run that cut the deficit to two points (22-20). The Racers didn't give up and forced a tie at 23 before the set was forced into extra points on a kill by Nenninger. MSU held on to earn the 27-25 win with Su earning the final point of the match for the Racers.
“I think the team probably started that third set thinking that we will win if we are on the court and didn't start out playing hard,” said Schwepker. “It was good that we were able to fight back and win the set and sometimes having a match like this at the end of the season helps you realize that no matter what you are down you can win.”
The Racers return to the friendly confines of Racer Arena for the final two home matches of the 2009 campaign. MSU first faces SIU-Edwardsville, Saturday, Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. and then hosts Southeast Missouri State, Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. Saturday's match is the annual Parents/Senior Day for the Racers, with the volleyball parents and two 2009 seniors, Cassie Chesney and Kelli Johnson, being honored before the start of the match.
Notes: The Racers recorded their best hitting percentage in a single set with a .591 (15k-2e-22ta) mark in set one…redshirt freshman Cassy Woolverton saw action in just her sixth match of the season.
