Racers Snap Slide in Five-Set Thriller

Saturday, October 11

Murray, KY

1 p.m.

Murray State

3-12,1-5MVC

Illinois State

8-10,3-3MVC

Illinois St.

Murray St.

Photo by: David Eaton-Murray State Athletics

10/11/2025 4:03:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Murray State defeats Illinois State 3-2.

By: Charlie Williams

The Murray State Racers picked up their first Missouri Valley Conference win of 2025 in five sets against the Illinois State Redbirds on Saturday at Racer Arena in Murray, Kentucky.

The win snapped a ten-game losing streak for the Racers (3-12, 1-5 MVC) that included the first five games of their MVC slate. Meanwhile, the Redbirds (8-10, 3-3 MVC) were not able to pick up their second win of the weekend after sweeping Belmont on Friday in Nashville.

The Racers got the win despite Illinois State having 62 kills to the Racers' 51 and 58 assists to the Racers' 50. However, the Racers out-blocked the Redbirds 12 to 9 and put up eight aces.

The Navy & Gold came back from an early deficit to win the first set 25-21 after Federica Nuccio had four kills and Ella Vogel had three. The Racers continued to roll through the second set, pulling away late to win 25-17 and take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Redbirds responded in the third set with an emphatic 25-12 win and hung on in the fourth to win a tight set 26-24 and force a decisive fifth set.

The Racers jumped in front early in the final set, taking an 8-3 lead before switching sides. They then weathered an Illinois State comeback with Ella Vogel delivering three straight kills to end the match for Murray State.

"Hopefully this will help us start to build some confidence," said head coach David Schwepker. "After last night's match, I wasn't sure how they were going to come out today...and they came out and responded unbelievably."

Ella Vogel led the match with 21 kills, while Alexa Watts added eight and Federica Nuccio had six. Paige Brock topped the Racers with 26 assists, and Katie Titus added 18 more. Four Racers had double-digit kills as Halle Forester led the way with 16, Mija Pristovnik had 12, Paige Brock had 11, and Federica Nuccio had 10. Morgan McClure and Haidi Miliou had six blocks each.

Khenedi Guest and Caitlyn Little had 13 kills each for the Redbirds, and Ella Craggs put up 44 assists. Arianna Rossi has 21 digs.

The Racers take the road next weekend for a pair of MVC road matches. They will face the UIC Flames in Chicago, Illinois, on Friday, October 17, at 6 p.m. CT, and the Valparaiso Beacons on Saturday, October 18 at 5 p.m. CT.

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).