OVC Heartbreaker - Racers Fall In 5th Set In Title Game

Saturday, November 18

Clarksville, Tenn.

12 p.m.

Murray State

22-9

Austin Peay

30-5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Murray State	25	23	25	21	10	2
Austin Peay	21	25	20	25	15	3

Photo by: Kevin DeVries-Murray State Athletics

OVC Heartbreaker - Racers Fall In 5th Set In Title Game

11/18/2017 2:51:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score OVC Release Box Score (PDF)

A spirited and determined run for the young Murray State Racers ended Saturday with a heartbreaking loss in five sets to the Austin Peay Governors in the championship game of the Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament in Clarksville, Tennessee.

With only one senior on the roster and 10 underclassmen, the Racers won a season-best seven-straight matches at the end of the season, including two in the tournament, to get to the title game with host Austin Peay. The tremendously entertaining match ended with a final score of 25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 21-25, 10-15.

The Racers ended their 2017 season 22-9 overall as they earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament after going 12-4 in OVC play. MSU scored 3-1 victories over Jacksonville State and Eastern Illinois to get to the championship match.

With the season on the line, the underdog Racers went out, won the first set 25-21, and ended it with their largest lead of the set with their 25^th point. However, the regular season champs came back to claim the second set 25-23 and it proved to me a missed opportunity for the Racers after they led it as late as 20-19.

Murray State dominated the third set 25-20 and never trailed, but couldn't bring the title home with a fourth set loss by a 25-21 score after they had cut APSU's lead to 20-19. With the teams alternating the first four sets, the OVC title came down to the fifth set.

In the fifth and deciding set, the Racers never got their attack game in gear and never had the lead. Trailing 3-2, the Racers fell behind 10-5. They fought back, but time was running out and eventually, the Govs won the set 15-10.

For the match, the Racers hit .230 with 66 kills on an even 200 attacks, while APSU hit .278 on 71-of-187.

OVC Freshman of the Year Katirah Johnson led MSU with a .355 hitting percentage while she and Rachel Holthaus shared the team lead with 14 kills each. Rachel Giustino added 13 kills, while Dacia Brown had 10. Becca Fernandez and Giustino led the way each with 22 digs.

Holthaus and Callie Anderton had big showings at the OVC event and each earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

Advancing to their fourth-straight title appearance, the Racers have tons of momentum going into 2018 with this season and the strong run they made at the end. The Racers have won five OVC Tournament championships, which came in 1989, 1992, 2003, 2014 and 2016.

2017 OVC VOLLEYBALL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Allie Hueston, Eastern Illinois
Cassie Knutson, Eastern Kentucky
Rachel Holthaus, Murray State
Callie Anderton, Murray State
Kristen Stucker, Austin Peay
Allie O'Reilly, Austin Peay
Brooke Moore, Austin Peay (MVP)