Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Louisiana-Monroe
Players Mentioned
Racers Head East to Chattanooga Classic
8/31/2017 10:47:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Dates: Sept. 1-2, 2017
Match Times: 1st – 2 p.m., 2nd – 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Opponents: UL-Monroe, Sam Houston State and Chattanooga
Site (Venue): Chattanooga, Tenn. (Maclellan Gym)
Host (Tournament): Chattanooga (Chattanooga Classic)
Live Stats
Watch Live (Chattanooga match only)
MSU Record (Streak): 2-1 (W2)
ULM Record (Streak): 0-3 (L3)
SHSU Record (Streak): 0-3 (L3)
UTC Record (Streak): 2-2 (W1)
MSU All-Time vs. The Field: 4-2
All-Time Series vs. ULM (Streak): 2-0 (W2)
All-Time Series vs. SHSU (Streak): 0-2 (L2)
All-Time Series vs. UTC (Streak): 2-0 (W2)
MSU Next Match: Sept. 5 vs. Southern Illinois
This Weekend
Murray State hits the road for the second tournament of the season to open the month of September as the Racers travel to the Chattanooga Classic to face Louisiana-Monroe, Sam Houston State and Chattanooga. It will be the Racers' first meeting with ULM since 2000 and the first against SHSU since 1992. MSU last faced Chattanooga back in 2014, winning in five thrilling sets.
Last Weekend
The Racers went 2-1 to open the 2017 season at the Courtyard by Marriott Samford Invitational. MSU dropped its first season opener since 2013 last Friday, losing in three sets to Ohio to open the invite. However, the Racers would respond later in the day to sweep Southeastern Louisiana before closing the tournament with a come-from-behind four-set victory over Samford. Becca Fernandez and Rachel Giustino were both named to the all-tournament team for their efforts over the three matches. Giustino led the team with 48 kills (4.80 per set) during the tournament while Fernandez, in her first action as a Racer, averaged 4.40 digs per set from the back row.
Climbing the Ladder
After last weekend's action, senior Olivia Chatman now has 152 block assists for her career and is just one away from jumping into the top 10 all-time in program history in that category. Sitting directly in front of Chatman is Katie Kemezys (2003-06) who had 153 for her career and above that is current Racer assistant coach Becca Lamb (2007-10) who tallied 163 block assists while at MSU.
Scouting UL-Monroe
ULM enters the weekend looking for its first win on the season. Catherine Griffith who has tallied 21 kills (2.33 per set) on the young season leads the Warhawks on offense. ULM uses a two-setter system, Tara Jenkins leads the team with 37 assists this season while Presleigh Williams has tallied 29. As a team, the Warhawks are hitting just .077 and are allowing opponents to hit .283. Defensively, ULM is averaging 13.56 digs and 1.78 blocks per set.
Scouting Sam Houston State
The Bearkats enter the classic with an 0-3 record after their opening weekend at Texas A&M. SHSU is balanced offensively at the top as Brooke White and Jordyn Vaughn are first and second, respectively on the team with 33 and 32 kills. White also leads the squad with 24 digs in 2017. Setter Jaclyn Ward leads SHSU with 82 assists and has led the Bearkats to a .130 team hitting percentage. SHSU is led by longtime head coach Brenda Gray, who is in her 33rd season with her alma mater.
Scouting Chattanooga
The Mocs enter the classic with a team hitting percentage of .176 and are led by Ally Ford's 63 kills (4.85 per set) while Miranda Elpers is second on the team averaging 3.55 kills per set. Setter Lauren Greenspoon leads Chattanooga averaging 11.15 assists per set, while in the back row, the Mocs are led by Megan Kaufman who averaged an incredible 6.85 digs per set last weekend. As a team, Chattanooga has 32 total blocks (2.46 per set), by far the most by any team in this weekend's tournament. Chattanooga is led by head coach Travis Filar.
