Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Eastern Illinois
Players Mentioned
Racers Open OVC Title Defense This Weekend
9/21/2017 9:31:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Dates: Sept. 22-23, 2017
Match Times: 7 and 1 p.m.
Opponents: Eastern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville
Site: Racer Arena
Watch Live (EIU match only)
Live Stats: EIU | SIUE
MSU Record (Streak): 8-4 (W1)
EIU Record (Streak): 6-6 (W2)
SIUE Record (Streak): 10-2 (W5)
All-Time Series vs. EIU: EIU leads the all-time series 24-22
All-Time Series vs. SIUE: MSU leads the all-time series 14-2
MSU Next Match: Sept. 29 at UT Martin
This Weekend
Murray State opens conference play this season looking to defend its OVC title and take home the crown for the fourth consecutive year. The Racers open at home to play just their second and third matches of the season at Racer Arena. MSU won both matches against Eastern Illinois last season and came from behind to win in five sets in all three matches in 2016 against SIUE, including in the OVC Tournament Championship.
Last Weekend
MSU took 2-of-3 last week at the Alabama Crimson-White Tournament. The Racers recorded a pair of sweeps over the weekend, defeating Troy and Southern in straight sets. The only loss over the weekend came to the Crimson Tide in four sets. Olivia Chatman and Alex Kaufmann were named to the all-tournament team.
Home Sweet Home
The Racers look to extend their program record 25-match regular season home winning streak this weekend. Dating back to 2014, MSU has won 33-of-34 overall at Racer Arena. MSU has won its last three matches in Murray against EIU and has never lost at home to the Cougars, going a perfect 9-0.
Conference Leader
Rachel Giustino currently leads the OVC in kills per set so far this season, tallying a league-leading 4.78 per set. Giustino also leads the conference in points per with 5.41 and is tied for first in service aces with 0.44 per set. Courtney Radle is currently second in the OVC in assists per set coming in at 9.92 and Olivia Chatman's .289 hitting percentage ranks ninth in the league.
Scouting Eastern Illinois
EIU enters the weekend having won its last two matches and is 1-2 in 2017 in true road matches. Maria Brown leads the balanced Panther attack with 127 kills this season (2.82 per set). Laurel Bailey has 103 kills and Maggie Runge and Taylor Smith have 97 and 96, respectively. Smith is vital to the Panthers as she also leads the team in assists with 262 and is second in digs with 128. Libero Anne Hughes leads the OVC in digs per set this year with 4.96 per. As a team, EIU is hitting .199 and has 99.5 total blocks and 55 service aces.
Scouting SIU Edwardsville
The Cougars are riding a five-match winning streak into the weekend, but have only played two true road matches in 2017 so far. SIUE is led offensively by 2016 All-OVC performer Taylor Joens who is averaging 3.16 kills per set and has a conference-best .399 hitting percentage. Joens also leads the team averaging 1.02 blocks per set. Ashley Witt and Emily Harrison are also in triple figures in kills this year with 112 and 103, respectively. As a team, SIUE is hitting an OVC-high .235 as a team, and is averaging an incredible 18.14 digs per set overall and is led by Katie Shashack's 4.28 per set in that department. SIUE has 65 aces this season and 91 total blocks.
Family Weekend
Friday and Saturday is Family Weekend at MSU with a number of activities going on all over campus. At both Friday and Saturday's matches, fans can get a $5 MSU Family Weekend t-shirt.
