Murray State University Athletics
Racers to Open Conference Play on the Road
9/26/2024 7:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Murray State will travel to Illinois State for their first MVC match of the season.
Date(Time): September 27Â (6 p.m. CT)Â
Site (Venue): Normal, Ill. (CEFCU Arena)Â
Opponent: Illinois State RedbirdsÂ
Live Stats: GoRacers.comÂ
ÂMurray State Volleyball (5-4) will face the Illinois State Redbirds (5-8) in their Missouri Valley Conference opener on Friday, September 6. Â
ÂComing off of a bye week, the Racers are looking to carry momentum into conference play after winning five of their last six in non-conference play. The red-hot Racers have been bolstered by strong play from junior Outside Hitter Ella Vogel, who is currently second in the MVC with an average of 4.35 kills per set and a total of 148. Graduate libero Dahlia Miller has also been a key to their early success, earning Defensive Player of the Week honors. Her 5.20 digs per set are third most in the MVC. Setter Bailey DeMier is also among the top players in the MVC as she leads the conference with an average of 9.80 assists per set. Â
ÂDarci Metzger is on the watch list for the 1000 Kills Club with a career total of 968. She would be the 15th Racer to reach the career milestone. Â
ÂThe Navy & Gold are among the most efficient teams in the Missouri Valley Conference with their hitting percentage of .220 being the second-highest.
ÂThe Redbirds are led by junior Aida Shewald who has 188 kills and 218 points on the season. Samantha Bunch leads the team with 179 digs and 58 assists. Freshman Khenedi Guest has been an early standout, being awarded MVC Freshman of the Week after recording 37 kills at Owls Paradise Classic, including a career-high of 14 against Stetson. Â
Â"I'm not sure, we're going to find out tomorrow night," said head coach David Schwepker about his team going into MVC play. "I'm glad that we had last weekend off and had a good practice at the end of the week and worked on some things we need to focus on… conference play is going to be super tough so we'll see where we fall into it."Â
ÂFollowing their contest with the Redbirds, the Racers will travel to Peoria, Illinois to face the Bradley Braves on Saturday, September 28 at 3 p.m. CT.Â
ÂÂ Follow the Racers on Twitter (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics), and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics. Follow Murray State volleyball on Twitter and Instagram (@RacersVB).
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