Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
UT Martin
Racers to Open OVC Tournament Against UT Martin
11/19/2019 4:51:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Dates:Â Nov. 21st
Match Times:Â 10 a.m .
Opponents:Â UT Martin
Site:Â Jacksonville, Ala.
Venue:Â Pete Mathews Coliseum
Live Stats
Live Video
MSU Record (Streak): 18-10Â (W2)
All-Time Series vs. UT Martin (Streak):Â 48-22Â (L1)
This Weekend
The Racers begin their quest to defend their OVC Tournament title when they open up against UT Martin on Thursday. Murray State earned the #3 seed while the Skyhawks are seeded sixth. The two teams split their regular season matchups with both teams winning at home. Thursday's game as well as all games in the 2019 OVC Volleyball Championship will be streamed on ESPN+.
Last Match
It was a perfect senior day for the Murray State volleyball team as they swept Morehead State to conclude the regular season. Murray State's five seniors were all over the court as Rachel Giustino led the way with 15 kills followed by Courtney Radle, who hit a career-high .611 with 11 kills. Rachel Holthaus also chipped in with 10 kills while Megan Lindsay had five kills and two service aces. Alex Kaufmann was solid on defense as she led the Racers with 10 digs.
OVC Honors
Rachel Giustino picked up her sixth OVC Offensive Player of the Week award this past week giving the Racers a total of 11 OVC weekly awards this season. Becca Fernandez was named Defensive Player of the Week three times while Ashley McBee was named Setter of the Week twice.
OVC Single-Match Record
With her 33 kills against Austin Peay, Rachel Giustino set a new OVC 25-point rally scoring era (since 2007) single match record. It is also tied for fourth most all-time in MSU history.
1,000-1,500-2,000
Over the weekend at SEMO and UT Martin, Alex Kaufmann picked up her 1,00th career dig while Becca Fernandez collected her 1,500th dig, just the eighth Racer in history. Ashley McBee joined in with her own milestone against Austin Peay as she became the ninth Racer to reach 2,000 assists.
She's Number One
Rachel Giustino recorded her 1,599th kill against SIU Edwardsville to become the all-time leader in kills in Murray State history, passing Scottie Ingram's record set in 2016.Â
NCAA Leaderboard
Rachel Giustino is among the nation's leaders in a couple of categories as she is second in total kills with 565 and fourth in kills per set at 5.33. Becca Fernandez is also in the top 30 in digs per set with 5.05, currently 27th in the nation.
Scouting UT Martin
The Skyhawks enter the OVC Tournament at 9-7 in conference play after winning their final three matches of the season agains the Racers, Eastern Illinois, and SIU Edwardsville. UT Martin has a balanced attack on offense with Gintare Mackeviciute, Logan Wallick, Jessica Reynolds, and Karen Scanlon all average over two kills per set. Kenzie Hinshaw dishes out 8.98 assists per set while Jamie Rys is averaging 3.33 digs per set. Justine Walker leads the OVC with 1.24 blocks per set.
