Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Southern Illinois
Racers to Face Salukis in Final Road Test, Host Two-Seed Beacons
11/6/2025 11:03:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Murray State will travel to Carbondale before returning to Racer Arena.
Dates (Times): Friday, Nov. 7 (6 p.m. CT), Saturday, Nov. 8 (5 p.m. CT)
Opponents: Southern Illinois Salukis, Valparaiso Beacons
Locations (Venues): Carbondale, Ill. (Davies Gym); Murray, Ky. (Racer Arena)
Streaming: ESPN+
Live Stats: GoRacers.com
The Murray State Racers continue Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend with a pair of matches.
The Racers (4-17, 2-10 MVC) remain at the bottom of the conference with four matches left in the regular season. Southern Illinois (10-16, 4-8 MVC) enters the weekend in eighth place, while Valparaiso (19-6, 10-2 MVC) sits in second.
Senior outside hitter Ella Vogel is chasing history. She has totaled 1,251 career kills, placing her sixth all-time at Murray State. She is approaching Jill Doty, who recorded 1,276 kills from 1988-91. Earlier this season, Vogel tallied her 1,000th career kill, becoming the 16th Racer to reach the milestone. The Cape Girardeau, Missouri, native leads Murray State with 302.0 points and 274 kills this season. Her 3.56 kills per set rank third in the MVC. She also ranks second on the team with 41.0 blocks.
Outside hitter Federica Nuccio is averaging 2.24 kills per set, her highest mark since 2022. She ranks second on the team with 150 kills and leads the Racers with 25 aces, including the match-winning serve in the team's win over Evansville. Freshman Halle Forester leads Murray State with 183 digs across 54 sets, while her 3.39 digs per set rank ninth in the MVC. Freshman Samantha Nelson has also seen time at libero, totaling 120 digs with an average of 1.71 across 70 sets. Setters Katie Titus and Nelson are tied for 13th in the MVC with 364 assists each. Brock averages 5.60 assists per set, ninth in the league, while Titus averages 5.52, 12th in the MVC.
Southern Illinois enters the weekend having lost four straight and sits just outside the six-team MVC Tournament field. Kelly Franklin leads the Salukis with 299 kills and ranks ninth in the MVC with 2.96 kills per set. Annabelle Sulish is right behind her with 281 kills and a 2.93 per-set average. Setter Emma Lade leads SIU with 671 assists, good for third in the MVC. Libero Jillian Shaneyfelt ranks third in the conference with 418 digs, while Larissa Seger leads the MVC with 102 blocks.
Earlier this season, Murray State took the first set from Valparaiso before falling 3-1. Senior libero Emma Hickey ranks fourth nationally with 5.29 digs per set, and her 508 total digs lead the MVC. Offensively, the Beacons are paced by Ava Helming, who has 305 kills and averages 3.32 per set. Setter Addy Kois leads the team with 579 assists.
The Racers will close out their 2025 regular season next week with a pair of home matches. Murray State hosts Belmont on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. CT. Senior Day will follow on Friday, Nov. 14, at 5 p.m. CT against UNI.
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