Murray State University Athletics
Friday, August 27
Macon, Ga.
12 p.m.
Murray State
vs
New Hampshire
Volleyball to Open 2021 Season at the Mercer Bear Classic
8/25/2021 9:27:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Murray State opens their 2021 campaign Friday at the Mercer Bear Classic
The Murray State Racers volleyball team (0-0) opens up its 39th season in program history with non-conference action this weekend at the Mercer Bear Classic, Aug. 27-28.
The Racers are set for three matches in two days as they face off against New Hampshire, Stetson and Mercer at Hawkins Arena for the classic.
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MURRAY STATE VS. NEW HAMPSHIRE
Friday, August 27 | 12 p.m.
Live Stats
MURRAY STATE VS. STETSON
Friday, August 27 | 3 p.m.
Live Stats
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MURRAY STATE VS. MERCER
Saturday, August 28 | 1 p.m.
Live Stats
QUICK HITS
- The 2021 season marks the 39th year of Murray State volleyball.
- Murray State was picked to finish seventh in the OVC in the conference's preseason poll.
- Murray State's 2021 schedule boasts four non-conference tournaments after playing a conference-only schedule in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Racers will travel twice to Georgia to compete in the Mercer Bear Classic (Aug. 27-28) and in Georgia Southern's Eagle Invitational (Sept. 10-11), to St. Louis, Missouri to play in Saint Louis's Billiken Invitational (Sept. 3-4) before closing out non-conference play the University of Evansville's Dunn Hospitality Invitational (Sept. 17-18).
- Head coach Dave Schwepker stands at 354-302 in his 24th season in Murray. He is joined by assistant coach Alison Hrusovsky who enters her third season with the Racers.
- The Racers roster features a pair of seniors, one redshirt senior, two juniors, five sophomores and four freshmen.
RETURNING RACERS
- Preseason All-OVC selection and reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Year Becca Fernandez is back for the Racers for her fifth year. In 2020, Fernandez guided Murray State's defensive efforts, finishing third in the nation with her 6.09 digs per set while also leading the OVC in digs with 335. Her 1972 career digs ranks fourth in Racers program history as she sits in striking distance of becoming Murray State All-Time Leader in Digs. Â
- Sophomore Dahlia Miller and redshirt senior Kolby McClelland also played important roles defensively. Miller dug 153 balls in 2020 while McClelland picked up 125 digs.
- Offensively, the Racers were led by Preseason All-OVC selection Jayla Holcombe, finishing with 204 kills and 4.00 points per set, fourth and fifth in the OVC, respectively. McClelland led the team in total attempts and was second on the team with 163 kills followed by Darci Metzger with 131 kills.
- At the net, Taylor Beasley was a wall for the Racers, collecting 34 total blocks, 13 block solos and 21 block assists. Metzger, Morgan Price and Holcombe each contributed 20+ block seasons in 2020.
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NEWCOMERS
- The 2021 Murray State volleyball team welcomes four freshmen to Murray in Bella Dearinger, Bailey DeMier, Alexa Harris and Brooke Lynn Watts.
- Dearinger and DeMier both hail from Indiana, Muncie and Bloomington, respectively. Dearinger was named Second Team All-State at Delta High School while DeMier was Prep Dig-Indiana 2021 Player Rankings #1 Setter, #8 Overall from Bloomington South High School.
- Harris, a Edwardsville, Illinois native, was an All-State Honorable Mention while Watts, the first Racer to come from Maryland, was named Maryland's 2021 Gatorade State Player of the Year after leading Arundel High School to its first State Championship.
SERIES HISTORY
The Racers are facing Stetson and Mercer for the first time in program history and playing New Hampshire for the first time since 2008 where the Racers won in five sets at JMU's Days Inn Invitational in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
vs. New Hampshire: 2-0
vs. Stetson: 0-0
vs. Mercer: 0-0
SCOUTING NEW HAMPSHIRE
- The New Hampshire Wildcats are coming off a 7-3 season in 2020 in the America East Conference.
- This season New Hampshire was selected to finish second in the America East preseason coaches' poll after finishing in third place in 2020. The Wildcats received one first place vote.
-The Wildcats return two All-Conference selections in senior middle blocker Abby Sullivan and sophomore outside hitter Hannah Serbousek
- Sullivan led the Wildcats in kills, with 73 on a .347 hitting percentage while Serbousek averaged 2.50 per set.
- Junior Wren Macaulay split time at setter averaging 3.37 assists per set.
- Sophomore Mia Pagliarini led the team on defense with 4.34 digs per set.
-As a team, UNH averaged 1.82 blocks per set, led by Sullivan who notches 0.86 per set.
SCOUTING STETSON
- The Stetson Hatters are coming off a 6-8 season in 2020 and 5-7 in the ASUN Conference.
- This season Stetson was selected to finish seventh in the Preseason Coaches Poll.
- Stetson was one of the top defensive squads in the ASUN conference last season, leading in digs per set (18.25) and solo blocks (40) while ranking third in digs with 949.
- The Hatters appeared in the ASUN Championship for the third consecutive season last spring entering the league tournament as the third seed from the South Division averaged 2.50 per set.
- Returning junior Elena Djokovic earned a selection to the All-Conference Second Team and ended the season ranked third in the ASUN with 3.90 kills per set. Djokovic also took home Player of the Week honors twice during the season.
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SCOUTING MERCER
- The Mercer Bear are coming off a 15-8 season in 2020 and 13-3 in the Southern Conference, winning a share of the regular season title for the first time in program history.
- This season Mercer was selected to finish second in the Preseason Coaches Poll.
- Head Coach Derek Schroeder was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 2020 and the Bears saw three players earn All-SoCon honors – Annie Karle (All-SoCon First Team), Jaida Howell (All-SoCon First Team), and Brittany Major (All-SoCon Second Team).
- Howell and Karle were selected to the Preseason All-SoCon Volleyball team.
- Howell led Mercer with 90.0 blocks in the 2020-21 season, including a match-high of six on three separate occasions. The Ontario native posted a season-high 20 kills against The Citadel in the February 15th matchup.
- Karle led the Bears with 285 kills along with Howell providing 223 in the 23-match 2020-21 season. In addition, Karle paced Mercer with 320.0 points and started in every match last campaign. The senior collected 32 kills in the two-match set versus Wofford. In the second matchup with the Terriers on March 8, Karle had eight kills in the straight-set victory.
The Racers are set for three matches in two days as they face off against New Hampshire, Stetson and Mercer at Hawkins Arena for the classic.
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MURRAY STATE VS. NEW HAMPSHIRE
Friday, August 27 | 12 p.m.
Live Stats
MURRAY STATE VS. STETSON
Friday, August 27 | 3 p.m.
Live Stats
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MURRAY STATE VS. MERCER
Saturday, August 28 | 1 p.m.
Live Stats
QUICK HITS
- The 2021 season marks the 39th year of Murray State volleyball.
- Murray State was picked to finish seventh in the OVC in the conference's preseason poll.
- Murray State's 2021 schedule boasts four non-conference tournaments after playing a conference-only schedule in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. The Racers will travel twice to Georgia to compete in the Mercer Bear Classic (Aug. 27-28) and in Georgia Southern's Eagle Invitational (Sept. 10-11), to St. Louis, Missouri to play in Saint Louis's Billiken Invitational (Sept. 3-4) before closing out non-conference play the University of Evansville's Dunn Hospitality Invitational (Sept. 17-18).
- Head coach Dave Schwepker stands at 354-302 in his 24th season in Murray. He is joined by assistant coach Alison Hrusovsky who enters her third season with the Racers.
- The Racers roster features a pair of seniors, one redshirt senior, two juniors, five sophomores and four freshmen.
RETURNING RACERS
- Preseason All-OVC selection and reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Year Becca Fernandez is back for the Racers for her fifth year. In 2020, Fernandez guided Murray State's defensive efforts, finishing third in the nation with her 6.09 digs per set while also leading the OVC in digs with 335. Her 1972 career digs ranks fourth in Racers program history as she sits in striking distance of becoming Murray State All-Time Leader in Digs. Â
- Sophomore Dahlia Miller and redshirt senior Kolby McClelland also played important roles defensively. Miller dug 153 balls in 2020 while McClelland picked up 125 digs.
- Offensively, the Racers were led by Preseason All-OVC selection Jayla Holcombe, finishing with 204 kills and 4.00 points per set, fourth and fifth in the OVC, respectively. McClelland led the team in total attempts and was second on the team with 163 kills followed by Darci Metzger with 131 kills.
- At the net, Taylor Beasley was a wall for the Racers, collecting 34 total blocks, 13 block solos and 21 block assists. Metzger, Morgan Price and Holcombe each contributed 20+ block seasons in 2020.
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NEWCOMERS
- The 2021 Murray State volleyball team welcomes four freshmen to Murray in Bella Dearinger, Bailey DeMier, Alexa Harris and Brooke Lynn Watts.
- Dearinger and DeMier both hail from Indiana, Muncie and Bloomington, respectively. Dearinger was named Second Team All-State at Delta High School while DeMier was Prep Dig-Indiana 2021 Player Rankings #1 Setter, #8 Overall from Bloomington South High School.
- Harris, a Edwardsville, Illinois native, was an All-State Honorable Mention while Watts, the first Racer to come from Maryland, was named Maryland's 2021 Gatorade State Player of the Year after leading Arundel High School to its first State Championship.
SERIES HISTORY
The Racers are facing Stetson and Mercer for the first time in program history and playing New Hampshire for the first time since 2008 where the Racers won in five sets at JMU's Days Inn Invitational in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
vs. New Hampshire: 2-0
vs. Stetson: 0-0
vs. Mercer: 0-0
SCOUTING NEW HAMPSHIRE
- The New Hampshire Wildcats are coming off a 7-3 season in 2020 in the America East Conference.
- This season New Hampshire was selected to finish second in the America East preseason coaches' poll after finishing in third place in 2020. The Wildcats received one first place vote.
-The Wildcats return two All-Conference selections in senior middle blocker Abby Sullivan and sophomore outside hitter Hannah Serbousek
- Sullivan led the Wildcats in kills, with 73 on a .347 hitting percentage while Serbousek averaged 2.50 per set.
- Junior Wren Macaulay split time at setter averaging 3.37 assists per set.
- Sophomore Mia Pagliarini led the team on defense with 4.34 digs per set.
-As a team, UNH averaged 1.82 blocks per set, led by Sullivan who notches 0.86 per set.
SCOUTING STETSON
- The Stetson Hatters are coming off a 6-8 season in 2020 and 5-7 in the ASUN Conference.
- This season Stetson was selected to finish seventh in the Preseason Coaches Poll.
- Stetson was one of the top defensive squads in the ASUN conference last season, leading in digs per set (18.25) and solo blocks (40) while ranking third in digs with 949.
- The Hatters appeared in the ASUN Championship for the third consecutive season last spring entering the league tournament as the third seed from the South Division averaged 2.50 per set.
- Returning junior Elena Djokovic earned a selection to the All-Conference Second Team and ended the season ranked third in the ASUN with 3.90 kills per set. Djokovic also took home Player of the Week honors twice during the season.
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SCOUTING MERCER
- The Mercer Bear are coming off a 15-8 season in 2020 and 13-3 in the Southern Conference, winning a share of the regular season title for the first time in program history.
- This season Mercer was selected to finish second in the Preseason Coaches Poll.
- Head Coach Derek Schroeder was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 2020 and the Bears saw three players earn All-SoCon honors – Annie Karle (All-SoCon First Team), Jaida Howell (All-SoCon First Team), and Brittany Major (All-SoCon Second Team).
- Howell and Karle were selected to the Preseason All-SoCon Volleyball team.
- Howell led Mercer with 90.0 blocks in the 2020-21 season, including a match-high of six on three separate occasions. The Ontario native posted a season-high 20 kills against The Citadel in the February 15th matchup.
- Karle led the Bears with 285 kills along with Howell providing 223 in the 23-match 2020-21 season. In addition, Karle paced Mercer with 320.0 points and started in every match last campaign. The senior collected 32 kills in the two-match set versus Wofford. In the second matchup with the Terriers on March 8, Karle had eight kills in the straight-set victory.
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S/RS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
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