Volleyball Opens Four-Match Road Swing This Weekend In Illinois

Friday, October 19

Charleston, Ill.

7:00 p.m.

Murray State

Eastern Illinois

Photo by: Murray State Sports Information

Volleyball Opens Four-Match Road Swing This Weekend In Illinois

10/18/2012 11:50:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

The Murray State volleyball team will begin a four-match road trip this weekend when they travel to southern Illinois to take on a pair of familiar opponents in Eastern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville.

The Racers hosted both teams at Racer Arena last weekend, topping SIU Edwardsville on Friday, 3-1, and falling to Eastern Illinois on Saturday by the same score. The split kept Murray State in the play-off picture, as they sit just one game out of the eighth and final OVC tournament berth, currently held by SIU Edwardsville. The Racers are currently in a three-way tie for ninth place with Eastern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky.

Freshman Sam Bedard (Breese, Ill.) had a breakout weekend at setter, as she notched her third and fourth double-doubles of the season with 40 assists and 16 digs versus SIU Edwardsville and 33 assists and 12 digs against Eastern Illinois. Fellow freshman Taylor Olden (Lincoln, Ill.) also had a big weekend with a double-double of her own on Friday, 16 kills and 10 digs, and a team-high 11 kills on Saturday.

Freshman Jodie Klein (Louisville, Ky.) led the defense on the weekend with a combined 37 digs, while classmate Alyssa Lelm (Mackinaw, Ill) turned in 13 total blocks. Lelm was just three blocks from her own double-double on Saturday as she tallied seven block assists and 10 kills.

For the season, senior Wendi Zickfield (Cape Girardeau, Ill.) currently boasts the team's best hitting percentage at .220, while Olden has the most kills of any Racer with 184. Junior Katlyn Hudson (Columbus, Ind.) leads the MSU defense with 217 digs, while Lelm has 70 total blocks.

Scouting The Opponents:
Eastern Illinois (5-16, 2-6 OVC): The Panthers salvaged a split last weekend with the win over MSU on Saturday, after dropping a 3-0 decision at Austin Peay on Friday night. Junior Stephanie Arnold (Oregon, Wis.) was honored for her performance by the league last week, as the adidas® Ohio Valley Conference 'Defensive Player of the Week.” Arnold led the Panthers to a school record 18 total blocks against Murray State with one solo block and 10 assists. She ended the weekend averaging 2.29 blocks per set.

The Series: With last Saturday's win the Panthers now lead the all-time series, 20-17. However, last weekend's victory was only the second win for the Panthers in the last 13 meetings. Murray State trails the all-time series at EIU's Lantz Arena, 11-7, however the Racers have been victorious in four of their last five trips to Charleston.

SIU Edwardsville (7-12, 3-5 OVC): The Cougars dropped both matches last weekend, falling 3-1 to the Racers on Friday and 3-0 to Austin Peay on Saturday. After starting OVC play at 2-1, SIUE is now reeling, having won just one of its last five league matches. Junior Kelsey Augustine (Geneva, Ill.) led the Cougar offense last week with 10 kills on Friday and 11 kills on Saturday.

The Series: After the win last weekend, the Racers are now 6-0 all-time against the Cougars. Since first beginning the series against SIUE in 2009, Murray State is now at 4-0 at Racer Arena and 2-0 at SIUE's Vadalabene Center.

Block It Like It's Hot: Freshman Alyssa Lelm is making a name for herself when it comes to blocking this season. She currently ranks third in the OVC in league matches with 1.36 blocks per set. She is also just 13 total blocks from breaking into the Racers' single-season Top 10 in that category with 70. She is also just 12 block assists from breaking into that categories' Top 10.

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.

Not Traveling To The Land of Lincoln?: There are two ways to follow Murray State volleyball road matches this year. Both live stats and live video, courtesy of the OVC digital network, will be available for most away matches this season and both options are free to all fans. Please note that only Friday's match at EIU will be carried on the OVC Digital Network. Live Stats vs. EIU Live Stats vs. SIUE OVC Digital Network

What's Next: The Racers will wrap-up a four-match road stretch with a trip to Music City, U.S.A., Nashville, Tenn. Murray State will take on OVC-newcomer Belmont on Thursday at 7 p.m., then travel just 5.3 short miles northwest to take on Tennessee State at 7 p.m. on Friday.