Volleyball Hits Road For Pair of West Division Matches

Friday, October 5

Martin, Tenn.

7:00 p.m.

Murray State

UT Martin

Photo by: Murray State Sports Information

Volleyball Hits Road For Pair of West Division Matches

10/4/2012 4:33:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

The Murray State volleyball team will travel to UT Martin on Friday and Southeast Missouri on Saturday for a pair of OVC west division match-ups this weekend.

The Racers (3-11, 1-3 OVC) are coming off an absolute heartbreaking, non-conference loss to Southern Illinois on Tuesday night at Racer. Murray State took an early 2-0 lead in the match, but the Salukis battle back and won the next three sets and match.

Senior Wendi Zickfield (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) led three Racers in double-figures with a season-high 18 kills in the match, while freshman Taylor Olden (Lincoln, Ill.) and sophomore Beth Mahurin (Rockville, Ind.) followed with 14 and 12, respectively. Senior Lydia Orf (St. Louis, Mo.) and junior Katlyn Hudson (Columbus, Ill.) paced the defense with 17 digs each.

Olden currently leads Murray State in total kills with 136 total kills, while fellow freshman Emily Schmahl (Edgewood, Ky.) leads in kills per set at 2.73 and hitting percentage at .206. Senior setter Lia Havili (Haltom City, Texas) is also playing a key role in the Racer offense with 448 total and 9.33 set.

On defense, Hudson leads the way with 174 total digs and 3.48 per set, while freshman Alyssa Lelm currently boasts the most blocks on the team with 46 total and 0.92 per set.

The Racers are currently in fifth place in the west division and tied for ninth place overall in the conference. However, they are just one game behind SIU Edwardsville, Austin Peay and UT Martin in the divisional standings, who are all tied for second in the west. A strong showing this weekend could propel the Racers into the top eight, which is the amount of teams that will qualify for this year's OVC tournament.

Scouting The Opponents:
UT Martin (6-12, 2-2 OVC): The Skyhawks are also coming off a mid-week loss, a 3-0 defeat at Evansville on Tuesday. Last week UT Martin split a pair of road games by falling to Southeast Missouri, 3-1, on Tuesday and topping Tennessee Tech, 3-2, on Saturday. Senior Lynsey Hazelwood leads the Skyhawk offense with 158 kills, while Amanda Crask boasts the highest hitting percentage at .192. The UT Martin defense is led by Kasey Elswick and Shelby Hoskins who have 375 digs and 43 total blocks, respectively. Elswick's 5.82 digs per set is currently the sixth highest in the nation and tops in the OVC. The Skyhawks also currently rank 24^th in the country in team aces per set at 1.58.

The Series: The Racers currently lead the all-time series with UT Martin, 35-18, and are 13-12 at Skyhawk Fieldhouse. The two teams split their meeting last season, with each winning on its home court. The loss at Martin last season put an end to a six-match win streak by the Racers. Despite last year's setback, Murray State has still won eight of the last 10 meetings with UT Martin.

Southeast Missouri (12-7, 4-0 OVC): The Redhawks are currently undefeated in OVC play, but are coming off of a tough 3-2 loss at home to Arkansas State. The loss to the Red Wolves also snapped a six-match win streak for Southeast. Helping power the Redhawk offense this season is Colleen Yarber, who currently has 156 kills on the year, while teammate Emily Coon is hitting at a .265 percentage with 125 kills of her own. On defense, Berkley Idel is averaging a team-high 4.44 digs per set, while Coon lead the team in solo blocks, block assists and blocks per set at 14, 4 and 1.19, respectively.

The Series: While the Redhawks hold a 43-19 all-time series leader over MSU, the Racers have dominated the series in recent history, winning eight of the last 10. The two teams split the season series in 2011, with Southeast winning 3-2 in Cape Girardeau and Murray State winning 3-0 at Racer Arena. Prior to last season's loss at Houck Field House, the Racers had won four straight in the series. Saturday will mark the 30th meeting between the two teams at Houck, with the Redhawks holding a 22-7 advantage.

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.

Busy This Weekend?: No worries, there are two ways to follow OVC matches away from the friendly confines of Racer Arena this season. Both live stats and live video, courtesy of the OVC digital network, will be available for most away OVC matches this season and both options are free to all fans. Live Stats vs. UT Martin Live Stats vs. Southeast Missouri OVC Digital Network Video Link for Southeast Missouri

What's Next: The Racers will return home to Racer Arena next weekend to continue OVC west division action when they host SIU Edwardsville on Friday and Eastern Illinois on Saturday.