Murray State
Arizona State
MSU to Compete at Wyoming Invite
9/6/2018 8:58:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Dates: Sept. 7 - Sept. 8, 2018
Match Times: 7th – 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., 8th – 2 p.m.
Opponents: Arizona State, Binghamton, and Wyoming
Site (Venue): Laramie, Wyo. (UNIWYO Sports Complex)
Host (Tournament): University of Wyoming
Live Stats: All Games
Live Video: vs. Wyoming only
MSU Record (Streak): 4-2 (W2)
MSU All-Time vs. The Field: 0-1
All-Time Series vs. Arizona State (Streak): First-ever meeting
All-Time Series vs. Binghamton (Streak): First-ever meeting
All-Time Series vs. Wyoming (Streak): 0-1 (L1)
MSU Next Matches: Sept. 14-Sept. 15 – Billiken Invitational (UNLV, Saint Louis, UMKC)
MSU Next Home Match: Sept. 29 vs. Eastern Kentucky
This Weekend
The Murray State volleyball team heads to the high altitude of Laramie, Wyoming, this weekend to compete in the UNIWYO Invite. They will open up their weekend with two matches on Friday, first taking on Arizona State at 11 a.m. before battling Binghamton at 6 p.m. As the Racers have done the previous two weekends, they will end with the host on Saturday, taking on the Cowgirls at 2 p.m.
Last Weekend
At the Saluki Invitational, the Murray State volleyball team went 2-1, defeating Alabama A&M and Southern Illinois after falling to Miami (OH) in the opener. Dacia Brown and Becca Fernandez were each named to the All-Tournament team. Brown had 43 kills, while hitting over .300 in the two wins, while Fernandez led the team with 47 digs. Callie Anderton also had 98 assists and 18 digs in the three matches. Rachel Giustino is averaging 4.68 kills per set, good enough for 14th in the nation.
Scouting Arizona State
The Sun Devils are coming off their first loss of the season after winning five straight to open the year. They defeated Towson and Xavier at the Puerto Rico Clasico before falling to Missouri. Courtney Leffel and Ivan Jeremic were named to the All-Tournament team after Jeremic finished the weekend with 32 kills and Leffel had 43 digs in the three matches. Nicole Peterson leads ASU with 157 assists and Carmen Unzue paces the team with 10 blocks.
Scouting Binghamton
The Binghamton volleyball team is still looking for its first win of the season after opening the 2018 campaign, 0-6. At the Maverick Classic, last weekend, in Arlington, Texas, the Bearcats fell to Loyola (MD), Air Force, and UT Arlington. Samantha Gioiosa was named to the All-Tournament team. Gaby Alicea is the reigning America East Conference Player of the Year and she currently leads the Bearcats with 73 kills and leads the conference with 3.65 kills per set. Kiara Adams leads BU with 133 kills while Gioiosa has a team-high 87 digs.
Scouting Wyoming
Wyoming returns home after a weekend away at the Portland Tournament, where they went 2-1, defeating LIU Brooklyn and Montana State and falling to Portland for their first loss of the season. The Cowgirls enter the weekend 10th in the country in hitting percentage at .291, led by Jackie McBride, who is hitting .400. McBride is one of six Cowgirls to have over 35 kills, with Tara Traphagan leading the way with 56 kills. Cori Aafedt and Marissa Harmon each have over 100 assists, while Reed Copeland leads a trio of Cowgirls with over 25 blocks. Wyoming was picked second in the Mountain West and is currently receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches poll.
Experience
MSU enters the 2018 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.
