Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Eastern Kentucky
Players Mentioned
Racers Return Home to Begin Final Stretch
11/4/2016 9:24:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Date: Nov. 5, 2016
Match Time: 2 p.m.
Opponent: Eastern Kentucky
Site: Racer Arena
Watch Live
Live Stats
MSU Record (Streak): 17-8, 12-1 OVC (W9)
EKU Record (Streak): 13-12, 8-5 OVC (W5)
All-Time Series vs. EKU: MSU leads the all-time series 35-29
MSU Next Match: Nov. 11 vs. Eastern Illinois (Racer Arena)
This Weekend
After a season-high five-match road trip, the Murray State volleyball team returns home for the first of three consecutive matches at Racer Arena to close the regular season. The Racers look to extend their winning streak to 10 games as they welcome Eastern Kentucky to Racer Arena Saturday at 2 p.m. The Colonels enter the contest on a five-match winning streak and are fourth in the league standings. Meanwhile, MSU currently sits on top of the OVC with a 1.5-game lead over SIU Edwardsville.
Earlier This Week
The Racers closed their road swing with a four-set victory over Austin Peay Wednesday night in Clarksville, Tenn., in a key OVC matchup. With the win, MSU now sits two full games ahead of the Governors in the conference standings. Kristen Besselsen notched a career-high 25 kills in the victory and also hit a team-best .345 in the win. Besselsen also recorded her fifth double-double of the season in the match as she added 12 digs. Besselsen also tallied a team-high two service aces and added three total blocks. Setter Hannah Stultz averaged 15 assists per set against the Govs and finished the night with a career-high 60 assists. Meanwhile, Ellie Lorenz recorded 30 digs from her libero spot.
Home Dominance
MSU has won 21 consecutive regular season home matches and 26 of 27 overall dating back to the beginning of the 2014 season. Over that time period, the Racers have recorded 22 sweeps and have lost a total of just seven sets (79-7 overall). In this season's five home matches, the Racers are hitting .299 as a team and have held opponents to just a .101 attacking percentage. MSU is also averaging 15.6 assists and 17.2 digs per set at home and is outscoring opponents on average, 25.3 to 17.7 per set this year.
Scouting Eastern Kentucky
The Colonels are led by Winthrop transfer Nikki Drost's 297 kills (3.06 per set) this season while Celina Sanks is second on the squad with 285 kills. Setter Rachel Woody leads EKU in its two-setter system averaging 6.18 assists per set this season and libero Mallory Maxwell is averaging 4.65 digs per set. As a team, the Colonels are hitting .182 overall and are averaging 1.94 total blocks per set. Ciera Koons leads EKU at the net defensively averaging 1.03 blocks per set.
