Racers Win 3-1 on Senior Night Over Eastern Illinois

Sunday, March 14

Murray, Ky.

6 p.m.

Murray State

5-6,5-6OVC

Eastern Illinois

1-10,1-10OVC

Eastern Ill.

Murray St.

Photo by: David Eaton-Murray State Athletics

3/14/2021 11:10:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

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On senior night, the Murray State volleyball team (5-6) beat Eastern Illinois in four sets (25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 25-12) on Sunday at Racer Arena.

Murray State opened its first of back-to-back weekends at Racer Arena improving to 5-6 over the visiting Eastern Illinois Panthers (1-10), winning 3-1.

The Racers honored two seniors pregame, Callie Anderton and Katirah Johnson, for their dedication and contributions to the Racers program.

In the match, MSU took a 2-0 lead, and came back to win it with a convincing thirteen-point win in the final frame with senior Katirah Johnson serving the set point.

The freshman trio of Jayla Holcombe, Darci Metzger and Taylor Beasley combined for 37 of the team's 55 kills on the night. Metzger hit a team-high .348 percentage and Beasley set new career-highs with nine kills and four blocks.

Senior Callie Anderton tallied 47 assists and 11 digs while Becca Fernandez collected 22 digs and one serve ace. Kolby McClelland also contributed to the Racers offense knocking down 13 kills in the match.

Murray State raced out to a 4-1 lead in set one, landing kills from McClelland and Metzger. The Panthers came back to tie the set at eight and then took a slight 10-9 advantage before the Racers went on a 9-2 scoring run with four kills from McClelland and closed out the set 25-20.

With the second set tied at 12 apiece, the Racers used back-to-back kills from Emily Matson and two attack errors from EIU to jump ahead 16-12. EIU came back to tie the Racers at 22 but an attack error and two kills from Holcombe sealed set two, 25-23 for the Racers.

The Racers and the Panthers played the third set tight, neither team pulling ahead by more than three points until EIU rattled off five straight and took a 23-20 lead. Murray State battled back to even the score at 23 but the Panthers took the set, 25-23.

It was all Murray State in the fourth set as the Racers won 25-12. Senior Katirah Johnson was subbed in and served the final point of senior night and the crowd went wild as she has been out all season with an injury.

Murray State returns to Racer Arena tomorrow to face Eastern Illinois again at 4:00 p.m.