Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
5-18,3-8MVC
UIC
10-13,6-5MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UIC | 20 | 24 | 25 | 0 |
| Murray St. | 25 | 26 | 27 | 3 |
10/30/2026 9:35:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Murray State played its best match of the season Friday night at Racer Arena, sweeping UIC 25-20, 26-24 and 27-25.
The Racers (5-18, 3-8 MVC) hit a season-best .339, their best mark since Nov. 8, 2024, and out-killed the Flames 56-38, their largest kill margin of the season. Senior outside hitter Alexa Watts drove the offense through the first two sets with 11 kills, including a seven-kill second set, then Lily Evans took over as the closer in the third with seven kills, two block assists and the match-winning kill. Both set career highs, Watts with 15 kills and Evans with 14. Evans led the match with a .722 hitting percentage, the ninth-best mark in program history for a player with 10 or more kills.
The win is Murray State's first sweep in MVC play this season and its first win over UIC since Oct. 19, 2024. It also gives the Racers back-to-back wins for the first time since November 2024, after their five-set win at Southern Illinois last Saturday.
Murray State took control from the first serve. The Racers hit .533 in the opening set with 18 kills and just two errors, their highest first set hitting percentage of the season. Freshman Maezi Snyder went 4-for-6 with no errors, Anne Makowski added four kills and Snyder closed the set with a service ace for a 25-20 win.
UIC pushed back in the second set and held set point at 24-23 after a Flames block. Makowski answered with three straight kills, all set by Paige Brock, to steal the set 26-24. Watts had seven kills in the frame and 11 through two sets.
The Racers looked to be coasting early in the third, and a sweep seemed to be all but guaranteed. Libero Samantha Nelson's serving run helped build a 10-2 lead. Then UIC's Tamara Kisic went to the line, and the Flames scored seven straight points, including a Kisic ace, to pull within 10-9. UIC took its first lead of the set moments later and went up 15-12. Momentum seemed to be building quickly for the Flames, but Evans would not let it continue. She ended UIC's run with a kill at 14-15, then teamed with Brock on a block that tied it at 15. She added kills at 16-16, 17-16 and 18-17 to put Murray State back in front. The set went back and forth from there. A successful UIC challenge erased a Racer point at 23-23, and the Flames tied it 25-25. Evans then put down the last two kills of the night to close out the match, the final kill being a thunderous swing after a long rally to send the Racer faithful into a frenzy.
Brock ran the offense with 44 assists and added eight digs. Makowski finished with 11 kills on .308 hitting, while Snyder added nine on .333 hitting. Nelson led the defense with a career-high 19 digs, and Mija Pristovnik handled 34 serve receptions with one error to go with 10 digs and six kills. The Racers held the Flames to .230 hitting.
Murray State closes its Halloween weekend homestand Saturday at 5 p.m. against Drake at Racer Arena.
