Volleyball Returns To Racer For Homecoming Weekend

Friday, October 12

Racer Arena

7:00 p.m.

Murray State

SIU Edwardsville

Photo by: Murray State Sports Information

10/11/2012 3:42:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

The Murray State volleyball team will celebrate Homecoming 2012 by hosting OVC west division rivals SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois. The Racers will face SIU Edwardsville on Friday at 7 p.m., and then on Saturday they will kick-off the homecoming doubleheader with football at 12 p.m., against Eastern Illinois.

The Racers (3-13, 1-5 OVC) have had an entire week to prepare for this weekend's game, as they did not play a mid-week contest. Last weekend, MSU had a rough road trip as they fell at both UT Martin, 3-1, and Southeast Missouri, 3-0.

Freshman Taylor Olden (Lincoln, Ill.) led the Racers on the weekend with 21 kills, while classmates Jodie Klein (Louisville, Ky.) and Sam Bedard (Breese, Ill.) each tallied 20 digs over the two-game span to pace the defensive unit.

Freshman Emily Schmahl (Edgewood, Ky.) currently leads the Racer offense by averaging 2.67 kills per set, while teammate Wendi Zickfield is boasting the best hitting percentage on the team at .209. Defensively, junior Katlyn Hudson leads the way in digs per set with 3.54, while freshman Alyssa Lelm (Mackinaw, Ind.) leads the team in blocks with 1.00 per set.

The Racers enter the weekend tied for ninth in the conference with 10 matches to play. They currently trail Austin Peay, UT Martin and SIU Edwardsville who are tied for the final three playoff spots at sixth through eighth.

Despite currently being outside of the playoff picture, two wins this weekend could go a long way towards MSU's play-off hopes. Wins over SIU Edwardsville and Eastern Illinois this weekend, paired with a SIUE loss to Austin Peay on Saturday, would tie the Racers with Cougars and give the Racers the advantage with a head-to-head win.

Scouting The Opponents:
SIU Edwardsville (7-10, 3-3 OVC): The Cougars will enter Friday's match at an even .500 in league play, thanks a win over Eastern Kentucky and a loss to league-leader Morehead State at home last weekend. Sophomore Emma Anderson (Broadwell, Ill.) leads the Cougars with 2.68 kills per set, while freshman Kristen Torre (Highland, Ill.) follows closely behind with 2.40, as well as a team-high hitting percentage of .301. On the defense, sophomore Chelsea Colclasure lead the team in digs at 5.03 per set, while junior Kelsey Augustine (Geneva, Ill.) is averaging a team-high block per set of 1.00.

The Series: The Racers are currently undefeated all-time against the Cougars at 5-0. Since first beginning the series against SIUE in 2009, Murray State has won all three meetings at Racer Arena and both in at the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville.

Eastern Illinois (4-15, 1-5 OVC): The Panthers will head into the weekend on a high, after snapping a 10-match losing streak last weekend with a 3-1 win over Eastern Kentucky at home. Freshman Abby Saalfrank is currently pacing the Panther offense with a team-high 2.44 kills per set, as well as a .230 hitting percentage and 3.70 assists per set. The defense is currently led by sophomore Kelsey Brooke (Peoria, Ill.) and senior Alison Berens (O'Fallon, Ill..) who are averaging 3.06 digs and 0.85 blocks per set, respectively.

The Series: Eastern Illinois currently leads the all-time series, 19-17; however the Racers hold the advantage at Racer Arena, 10-7. Despite the Panthers holding the upper hand in the series, the Racers have had EIU's number of late and have won 11 of the last 12 meetings, as well as the last three in a row. The last loss by MSU in the series came on Sep. 28, 2010, when the Racers dropped a 3-1 decision to the Panthers in Charleston.

Adding To The Trophy Case: Several Racers have racked up honors this season for their performances in early season tournaments. Taylor Olden received All-Tournament honors for her performance at both the LaQuinta Inn & Suites Highlander Invitational and West Virginia's Gold & Blue Classic, while Emily Schmahl was named to the Hyatt Place Fort Wayne/IPFW Invitational All-Tournament Squad. After capturing the LaQuinta Inn & Suites Highlander Invitational tournament championship as a team, Lia Havili was named as the event's most valuable player.

Can't Make It To Racer?: There are two ways to follow Murray State volleyball away from Racer Arena for this year's home matches. Both live stats and live video, courtesy of the OVC digital network, will be available for most home matches this season and both options are free to all fans. Live stats can be viewed either on desktop, laptop or most mobile devices. Please note that Saturday's match against Eastern Illinois will not be carried on the OVC Digital Network due to homecoming festivities. Live Stats vs. SIUE Live Stats vs. EIU OVC Digital Network

What's Next: The Racers will face the same two opponents next weekend, but on the road. On Friday, Murray State will take on Eastern Illinois at 7 p.m., followed by a Saturday matinee with SIU Edwardsville at 2 p.m.