Volleyball Comes From Behind, Beats UT Martin

Saturday, November 9

Martin, Tenn.

2 p.m.

Murray State

15-13 (5-9OVC)

UT Martin

9-21 (3-11OVC)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Murray State	25	24	16	25	15	3
UT Martin	17	26	25	13	13	2

Alyssa Lelm finished the weekend with 42 kills in Racer wins over SEMO and UTM

Photo by: Murray State Sports Information

11/9/2013 4:51:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Sam Bedard's triple-double and Alyssa Lelm's 22 kills paced the Racers to their second straight OVC win. After beating SEMO in five sets Friday (Nov. 8), Murray State again was taken to five sets, this time taking down UT Martin, 3-2 (25-17, 24-26, 16-25, 25-13, 15-13). The win gives the Racers 15 wins this season, their most since 2010 and puts their record at 15-13 (5-9, OVC).

Like the previous night, the Racers had their backs against the wall, trailing two sets to one, but came back to win sets four and five and take the match.

Bedard, who fell two kills shy of a triple-double against SEMO, this time completed the feat, her second of the season. Bedard led the Racers with 41 assists and also picked up 10 digs and 10 kills. To go along with her match-high 22 kills, Lelm earned her first double-double of the season, recording a career-high 11 digs.

Katlyn Hudson and Taylor Olden led the defensive effort with 20 digs apiece. As a team, the Racers registered 89 digs, with six athletes finishing in double-figures. Scottie Ingram also logged a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs.

The match began with an extended back-and-forth in the opening set. UTM scored the first two points, but neither team could break away with more than a one-point shortly thereafter. Murray State broke a 10-all tie and took an 11-10 lead, causing the Skyhawks to use a timeout. Coming out of the break, MSU exploded for four straight points to take their biggest lead of the set, 15-10. Olden served up back-to-back aces and Lelm landed two kills during the 5-0 run. UT Martin couldn't get any closer and the Racers were on their way to a 25-17 win and 1-0 lead in the match.

Murray State had a chance to go up 2-0, but let two separate leads slip away. The Racers stormed out of the gate, taking a commanding 11-3 lead. Trailing 14-7 UTM made their first move, scoring five straight points to cut the lead to two, 14-12. It didn't take long before the Skyhawks tied the set at 16-apiece. MSU took advantage of a pair of UTM attack errors and reclaimed a 20-17 lead. That lead too disappeared as the Skyhawks scored the next four points to take their first lead, 21-20, since they went ahead 3-2. Murray State tied the set at 23 and again at 24 to force extra points, but Madison Wessling completed the Skyhawk comeback with two kills to even the match, 1-1.

The third set started out much like the opener, with both squads jockeying for a lead. UTM's 9-6 lead was the largest in the early going, and the Racers were able to come back to tie the set, 15-15. The rest of the set belonged to the Skyhawks as they scored the next nine points and 10 of the final 11 to go ahead 2-1 in the match.

Trailing 2-1 in the match for the second consecutive night, MSU took a 4-3 lead and never looked back, cruising to an easy 25-13 set win. The Racers landed 17 kills, their most in any set this match.

Any momentum from the fourth set was quickly washed away as UT Martin went up 11-7 in the fifth and final set. The Racers refused to quit though, and scored four straight points, two off kills from Bedard, to tie the set, 11-11. UTM went back on top, 12-11 with a kill from Allie Whimpey, but MSU scored the next three to take their first lead of the set, 14-12. Emily Keaton brought the Skyhawks back to within one, 14-13, with a kill, but Emily Schmahl put the match away with her second kill of the set.

For the Skyhawks (9-21, 3-11 OVC), Keaton and Whimpey led the way with 15 kills each. Wessling chipped in 10. Setter Amanda Crask led the match with 47 assists. She also recorded 12 digs and seven kills. Libero Chelsea Bowles finished with a match-high 24 digs.

The Racers will look to make it three-in-a-row at their final home match of 2013 Nov. 12 against Austin Peay. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Racer Arena. Murray State took the Governors to five sets back in October, but fell, 3-2 on the road.