Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
UNLV
Players Mentioned
Racers Head to St. Louis to Wrap Up Non-Conference Action
9/13/2018 9:13:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Dates: Sept. 14 - Sept. 15, 2018
Match Times: 14th – 3:30 p.m., 8th – 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Opponents: UNLV, Saint Louis, and UMKC
Site (Venue): St. Louis, Mo. (Chaifetz Pavilion)
Host (Tournament): Saint Louis University
Live Stats: UNLV | Saint Louis | UMKC
Live Video: vs. Saint Louis only
MSU Record (Streak): 5-4 (L1)
MSU All-Time vs. The Field: 9-9
All-Time Series vs. UNLV (Streak): First-ever meeting
All-Time Series vs. Saint Louis (Streak): 7-7 (W2)
All-Time Series vs. UMKC (Streak): 2-2 (W1)
MSU Next Matches: Sept. 21 at UT Martin, Sept. 22 at Southeast Missouri
MSU Next Home Match: Sept. 29 vs. Eastern Kentucky
This Weekend
The Murray State volleyball team will compete at the Billiken Invitational in St. Louis, Missouri, this weekend. They will open up the invitational, Friday at 3:30 when they take on UNLV. On Saturday, they will battle host Saint Louis at noon before finishing up against UMKC at 5:00.
Last Weekend
At the UniWyo Invite, the Murray State volleyball team went 1-2, defeating Binghamton, but falling to Arizona State and Wyoming. Rachel Giustino was named to the all-tournament team after garnering 38 kills in the three matches. Dacia Brown also contributed with 37 kills, including a career-high 19 against Arizona State. Callie Anderton tallied 51 assists and Becca Fernandez racked up 34 digs. Giustino is currently 17th in the nation in points per set (5.00)
Scouting UNLV
The Rebels are coming off three straight wins at the Rebel Challenge, last weekend. Mariena Hayden was named the Rebel Challenge MVP while Elsa Descamps and Lauryn Burn were selected for the all-tournament team. Hayden leads the team with 155 kills while Antonette Rolda and Burt each have over 180 assists. As a team, they lead the country in service aces, averaging 2.30 per set, with Hayden averaging a nation-high 1.21 per set. She is the only player in the country averaging more than one ace per set. Hayden is also third in the country in points per set with 6.11
Scouting Saint Louis
The Billikens return home after picking up their first win of the season, last weekend against Central Michigan at the Sycamore Invitational. Isabelle Walsh was named to the all-tournament team after hitting .333 with 31 kills, eight digs, and six blocks. Maya Taylor is top-20 in the country in kills per set, averaging 4.47. Saint Louis was picked third in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, behind unanimous favorite VCU and Dayton.
Scouting UMKC
Winners of four straight matches, all at home, the Kangaroos go across Missouri with a 7-3 record. Tyrecia Lukes was named MVP of the Kangaroo Classic while Alicia Harrington and Brooke Jacobs were named to the all-tournament team. As a team, UMKC is 13th in the country in total assists (510) and 16th in total kills (541), while Lukes sits sixth in hitting percentage at .458. Rhegan Spiegel leads the team with 129 digs and Ali Schomers has a team-high 257 assists.
Experience
MSU enters the 2018 season as one of the most experienced teams in the nation as they return 12 players, losing just Olivia Chatham to graduation. Rachel Giustino, Rachel Holthaus and Katirah Johnson are all on the All-OVC Preseason team after being named All-OVC a season ago. They also return Callie Anderton, who led the team with 639 assists, as well as Ashley McBee and Courtney Radle, who each had over 330 assists themselves. On defense, Becca Fernandez and Alex Kaufmann both return to the court after combining for over 900 digs. Dacia Brown and Liza Gober will provide the senior leadership on the team, especially Brown, who is a fifth-year senior and has been a part of three championship-winning squads.
New Faces
The Racers welcome two true freshmen to Murray this season, as Rachel Kinney and Emily Matson join the team. Kinney comes from Indianapolis while Matson is a resident of Waukesha, Wisconsin. Both will play at the outside hitter position. In addition, Kolby McClelland will be making her first appearances on the court after redshirting last season.
Preseason Poll
The Racers were tabbed as favorites in the preseason OVC poll, slightly edging out defending champion Austin Peay. MSU collected 230 points, including 10 first-place votes, while Austin Peay had 227 points and 14 first-place votes. SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Kentucky round out the top four.
