Murray State University Athletics
Racers Open 43rd Season at USI Invitational
8/27/2026 8:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The 43rd season of Murray State volleyball will begin Friday as the Racers head to Evansville, Indiana, to compete in the USI Invitational.
Murray State will play a doubleheader Friday against host Southern Indiana and Eastern Michigan before closing the weekend against Northern Illinois on Saturday.
The invitational will mark the head coaching debut of acting head coach Tristyn Krzos, who was promoted from assistant coach following the retirement of David Schwepker after 28 seasons.
The Racers will open the season against a familiar former OVC foe in Southern Indiana. Friday's meeting will be the 16th all-time matchup between the programs, with Murray State entering the weekend having won the previous eight meetings, most recently in 2023. The Racers will then face Eastern Michigan, a program they are 2-0 against all time, before meeting Northern Illinois for just the second time in program history.
Krzos will look to guide Murray State to its second consecutive season-opening victory, as they beat Austin Peay to kick off the 2025 season. The Racers will open against a Southern Indiana team picked third in the OVC preseason poll.
The young Murray State group features six freshmen, including four from Europe, who will look to make an immediate impact after the Racers lost six players from last season's roster. The departing group accounted for 45% of Murray State's points, 60% of its kills and 43% of its digs in 2025. With just 17 total years of collegiate experience on the roster, Murray State is tied for the youngest team in the MVC.
Despite the turnover, the Racers return several experienced pieces. Senior setter Paige Brock and sophomore setter Katie Titus are back after averaging 5.53 and 5.27 assists per set, respectively, in 2025, ranking 11th and 12th in the MVC. Sophomore libero Samantha Nelson also returns after recording 128 digs as a freshman, the fifth-most among MVC freshmen.
Murray State also brings back production on the outside with Mija Pristovnik, Lily Evans and Alexa Watts. Pristovnik recorded 134 kills and 166 digs last season, while Evans totaled 112 kills and averaged 2.29 kills per set. Watts added 95 kills while averaging 1.76 per set.
The Racers enter the weekend looking to build on a young core that gained significant experience a season ago. Murray State freshmen combined to play 363 sets in 2025, the second-most among MVC teams, giving Krzos a group that, despite its youth, already has meaningful collegiate experience heading into the 2026 campaign.
