Racer Volleyball Set for New Challenges in 2013

The Murray State Racer volleyball team has been itching to get back on the court, determined to improve upon their finish from a season ago. Last season may not have produced the results this team is accustomed to, but the experience this young team gained may prove to be invaluable sooner rather than later.

The Racers' season kicks off on Aug. 30 at the North Carolina Central Invitational, one of four tournaments the Racers will play in at the start of the year. Head Coach David Schwepker is looking to build his team's confidence early before heading into the always competitive Ohio Valley Conference matches. "I know the OVC", said Schwepker, "it's important for us to face good competition early and gain confidence heading into those conference matches".

Of the four early-season tournaments, three will take place in North Carolina with the fourth in Dayton, Ohio at the Wright State Invitational.

Sandwiched between the four tournaments is the Racers' home opener on Sept. 10 against Evansville. The two teams have squared off four times in the past three seasons and the Purple Aces hold a 16-11 advantage all-time.

The Racers open OVC play with three-straight road matches starting Sept. 27 at Tennessee Tech. Jacksonville State and rival Austin Peay conclude the early road trip.

MSU will host OVC East Champs and conference runner-up Morehead State on Oct. 5 in their first OVC home game. The match kicks off a three-game homestand with UT Martin and Southeast Missouri State coming to Racer Arena following the Eagles.

Following two matches in Illinois against SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois, the Racers will enjoy a four match homestand, their longest of the season. The homestand begins on Oct. 25 with the second leg of a home-and-home with Eastern Illinois and concludes with OVC Tournament Champions Belmont on Nov. 2.

The Racers will close out the 2013 season on the road at Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 16.

Part of the challenge for the 2013 Racers will be their lack of experience. The squad boasts only one upperclassman, senior libero Katlyn Hudson. Schwepker isn't looking at that as a disadvantage however, saying, "We know we're young. We're not going to use that as an excuse. We're going to continue to work and get better".

As the only senior, Hudson has been tabbed the team captain and has been embracing the new role. "She has been playing well and has done a good job concentrating on making the team better as she herself improves. I'm very glad to have her back", said Schwepker. Last year, Hudson led the team with 281 digs and 21 service aces playing in 90 of 93 sets.

What has Schwepker really optimistic about 2013 and beyond is his sophomore class. He said this could be one of his best recruiting classes in his 16 years at Murray State. The playing time they received last year has them ready for a big jump in their second year.

Returning are the top three point scorers, Taylor Olden, Emily Schmahl, and Alyssa Lelm. The sophomores have worked on their contact points throughout the offseason and Schwepker has already seen an improvement. Schmahl has improved her offensive game and Olden has worked to become a better two-way player; Schwepker also made defense a point of emphasis this offseason. He sees Lelm harnessing her potential and becoming a terminator around the net.

Schwepker believes he doubled up on his successful 2012 class with another strong incoming freshman class. And for the Racers to be successful, he needs to be able to rely on his freshman. MSU could see as many as three freshmen crack the starting lineup. Schwepker believes they have the talent as they have had a strong preseason and are already fitting in with the offense.

The Racers brought in two new outside hitters, led by Scottie Ingram. The 5-10 freshman finished her career at Eastern Greene HS with over 1,800 kills and 1,500 digs and was an All-Southwestern Indiana Athletic Conference honoree all four years.

The second outside hitter is freshman Kamille Jones. Standing at 5-6, Jones used her tremendous leaping ability to average 236 kills in three seasons at R.L. Paschal HS in Fort Worth, Texas.

One freshman brought in to provide immediate help to the Racer defense is libero Ellie Lorenz. One of the top liberos to come out of Missouri in 2013, Lorenz is an All-District first team and All-Region honoree from Lindbergh HS in St. Louis, Mo. She has played for the USA Volleyball Girls' Junior Olympics silver medal club team and was named to the All-Tournament team at the 2011 Junior Olympic Tournament. Coach Schwepker has called her "outstanding" on defense and says she will shore up that end of the court.

Hannah Stultz will provide depth at the setter position after totaling 950 assists her senior year at Clackamas HS in Happy Valley, Ore. The three time All-Conference player was also named All-State and Three Rivers' League Player of the Year in 2012.

Schwepker knows there will to be bumps along the way with a team as young as this current group of Racers. However, with Hudson's leadership and the immense talent in both the sophomore and freshman classes, he and the Racers can smile when thinking about the future. A future that could be coming sooner than anyone expected.

Murray State University Athletics

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