Racers Set to Begin OVC Title Defense

Dates: Sept. 25-26
Match Times: 6:30 p.m. (SEMO) and 6 p.m. (UT Martin)
Opponents (Record): Southeast Missouri (4-9) and UT Martin (4-13)
Site (Venue): Cape Girardeau, Mo. (Houck Field House) and Martin, Tenn. (Skyhawk Fieldhouse)
Watch Live: OVC Digital Network (UT Martin match)
Live Stats: SEMO | UT Martin
MSU Record (Streak): 10-1 (W7)
All-Time Series vs. SEMO (Streak): 23-46 (W4)
All-Time Series vs. UT Martin (Streak): 38-21 (W5)
MSU Next Match: Oct. 3 at Eastern Kentucky
MSU Next Home Match: Oct. 7 vs. Austin Peay

This Weekend
The Racers begin defense of their 2014 OVC crown as they open conference play with the first two of three consecutive road matches. Murray State went a combined 5-0 against Southeast Missouri and UT Martin last season, including a 3-0 sweep over the Redhawks to open the OVC Tournament last November.

Last Week
MSU closed its non-conference slate with another 3-0 weekend and tournament title. The Racers swept Davidson to open the Winthrop Invitational and then defeated Winthrop and West Virginia in four sets each the next day.

Another MVP
Alyssa Lelm was named the Most Valuable Player at the invite after she recorded 32 kills and hit .424 in the three victories. Lelm hit .545 against Davidson, recorded 14 kills against Winthrop and closed the tourney with a .550 hitting percentage and no errors on 20 swings against WVU. Lelm also led the Racers with six total blocks over the weekend. Kristen Besselsen and Scottie Ingram joined Lelm on the all-tournament team.

Different Week, Same Result
For the second consecutive week and third time in four weeks this season, Sam Bedard was named the OVC Setter of the Week. Bedard dished-out an OVC-best 13.2 assists per set in the three victories and posted 50 or more assists in two of the three matches. Against Winthrop, Bedard recorded a season-best 55 assists and followed that performance up with 52 helpers in the win over West Virginia. Bedard also averaged 2.36 digs per set, had two double-doubles and led MSU with six service aces.

Out of the Gate
The Racers' 10-1 mark to open the season is the best start in program history through the first 11 matches. Prior to this season, MSU's best 11-match start was 9-2 in both 2006 and 2014.

Scouting Southeast Missouri
The Redhawks are led by a two-pronged attack in Krissa Gearring and Nzingha Clarke who lead the team with 138 and 136 kills, respectively. Clarke leads the team with an impressive .319 hitting percentage. Setter Katarina Rotta leads the team in assists, averaging 8.51 per set. Jade Mortimer leads the squad with 228 digs from her libero position. As a team, the Redhawks have 71.5 total digs. 2014 All-OVC Team member Taylor Masterson has yet to play this season for SEMO due to an injury. SEMO is led by Head Coach Julie Yankus who is in her fifth season with the Redhawks.

Scouting UT Martin
The Skyhawks have a trio of players with 115 or more kills on the season. Lael Ceriani leads UTM with 158 kills, while Madison Wessling is right behind her with 153 kills and Alisha Erves has 115. Ellie Cain leads the Skyhawks with 528 assists in 2015 and Chelsea Bowles has a team-best 206 digs. UT Martin is led by first-year Head Coach Jaclynn Yocum who spent the previous four seasons at Columbus State CC and compiled an impressive 118-29 record with the Cougars.

Watch Live
MSU's match Saturday against UT Martin can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network. Click HERE to watch the Racers in action.

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Players Mentioned

Sam Bedard

Kristen Besselsen

Scottie Ingram

Alyssa Lelm

Murray State University Athletics