The Murray State Racers fell to the Indiana State Sycamores 3–2 on Friday night at historic Racer Arena in Murray, Kentucky.
The loss is the 10th straight for the Racers (2–12, 0–5 MVC), with their last win coming Sept. 5 against Western Illinois. With the win, the Sycamores (9–8, 3–2 MVC) improve to fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference, while the Racers remain at the bottom of the conference standings.
The Sycamores edged out the Racers in the opening set 25–19 after holding an early 10–6 lead and putting up 16 kills compared to the Racers' 12.
The Racers reversed their fortunes in a big way in the second, storming out to an 18–8 lead before securing the 25–11 set win to tie the match 1–1. They stayed hot in the third set, going on an 11–4 run on their way to a 25–14 win in a set where they put up 15 kills on a .400 attack percentage.
Indiana State forced a decisive fifth set by winning the fourth 25–15 after totaling 16 kills and just two attacking errors.
In the final set, the Racers took an 8–5 lead before switching sides. The set continued to be a back-and-forth affair with the Racers taking a 13–12 lead. However, Indiana State put up three straight points to secure the match, with Kira Holland delivering the final blow.
Ella Vogel led all performers with 24 kills. Haidi Miliou and Lilly Burnett had nine each, with Burnett adding 11 digs. Anne Makowski added seven of her own. Halle Forester recorded a match-high 25 digs, while Samantha Nelson had 16 more. Paige Brock added another match high with 31 assists, and Elita Foti posted a career-high 16.
Three Sycamores reached double-digit kills: Kendall Curry with 14, Kira Holland with 12 and Hadley Hardersen with 11. Avery Hales and Emily Weber had 24 and 23 assists, respectively, and Holland led the team with 19 digs.
Murray State returns to Racer Arena on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 1 p.m. CT for a match against the Illinois State Redbirds. Dave Winder will be on the call on ESPN+.
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