Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
SIUE
Players Mentioned
Racers Head to Illinois For Pivotal Road Weekend
10/26/2017 3:33:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Dates: Oct. 27 and 28, 2017
Match Times: 6 and 2 p.m.
Opponents: SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois
Sites: Edwardsville and Charleston, Ill.
Watch Live: SIUE | EIU
Live Stats: SIUE | EIU
MSU Record (Streak): 15-7, 7-3 OVC (W3)
SIUE Record (Streak): 18-4, 8-2 OVC (W8)
EIU Record (Streak): 12-10, 6-4 OVC (W3)
All-Time Series vs. SIUE: MSU leads the all-time series 15-2
All-Time Series vs. EIU: EIU leads the all-time series 24-23
MSU Next Match: Nov. 3 vs. Southeast Missouri (Racer Arena)
This Weekend
Murray State hits the road for a pivotal road swing in the state of Illinois this weekend, looking to bolster its conference standing. The Racers are currently in third place in the OVC standings, one game behind SIU Edwardsville and a game ahead of Eastern Illinois. MSU beat both opponents to begin conference play earlier this season, defeating the Panthers in four sets and surviving in five sets against the Cougars.
Last Weekend
The Racers picked up a pair of wins last weekend in front of numerous volleyball alumnae, rallying from two sets down to defeat Belmont in a five-set thriller Friday and sweeping Tennessee State Saturday. Rachel Holthaus was second on the team with 20 kills over the weekend while hitting .486. Katirah Johnson set a program record with a .833 hitting percentage against the Tigers as she recorded 10 kills on just 12 swings. Becca Fernandez led the Racer defense with five digs per set.
Program Record
Johnson's 10-kill performance last Saturday bested the previous school-record mark of .818 by Jessica Wood, also set against TSU, back in 2000. The record book tracks hitting percentages of players who had 10 attacks or more.
Scouting SIU Edwardsville
SIUE enters the weekend as the highest-powered offense in the league, leading the OVC with a .230 team hitting percentage. Taylor Joens leads the Cougars with 268 kills (3.19 per set) and a .383 attack percentage. Ashley Witt is second on the team with 226 kills. SIUE is averaging 13.49 kills per set as a team. Samantha Knight leads the way with 563 assists in 2017 while libero Katie Shashack is averaging a team-best 4.20 digs per set. Since dropping their first two OVC contests this season, the Cougars have now won eight straight. Their last loss came at the hands of the Racers during opening weekend.
Scouting Eastern Illinois
EIU has a balanced offensive attack, entering the weekend led by Laurel Bailey's 228 kills. Maria Brown is second on the team with 222 kills while Taylor Smith has 195. Smith also leads the team with 513 assists. Allie Hueston is fourth on the squad with 167 kills and has a team-best .311 hitting percentage. Anne Hughes leads the league in digs per set, averaging 4.94 per. As a team, the Panthers are hitting .208 and has 178 total blocks.
