Volleyball Returns To Action In West Virginia

Saturday, September 15

Morgantown, W.Va.

1:00 p.m.

Murray State

Cleveland State

Photo by: West Virginia University

9/14/2012 1:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

After a nearly two-week break, the Murray State volleyball team will return to action this weekend at West Virginia's Gold & Blue Classic in Morgantown. The Racers will look to avenge an earlier loss to Cleveland State on Saturday and will meet the host Mountaineers on Sunday. Both games are scheduled for 1 p.m.

The last time MSU saw action was in a disappointing mid-week loss at Evansville. Despite amassing several sizeable leads in the match, the Racers (2-5) were unable to quell the Purple Aces or their capacity crowd and fell, 3-0.

Junior transfer Michelle Lazorchak has made an immediate impact on the team this season and currently leads all Racers with a .239 attack percentage and is second in blocks per set with 1.04. Lazorchack (Marion, Ill.), along with freshman Alyssa Lelm (Mackinaw, Ill.), has helped MSU make significant strides in the blocking aspect of its game this season.

Murray State is currently averaging 2.25 blocks per set, which if it held, would be the fifth highest total in program history. Currently, the Racers have not averaged over 2.20 blocks per set since 1996. MSU's current average also ranks it second among all OVC teams and 87th nationally.

Live stats for this weekend's matches, as well as all home and selected away matches, can be found on the team' schedule page or by clicking here.

Scouting The Opponents:

Cleveland State (7-4): The Vikings used their three wins in the Hyatt Place Fort Wayne/IPFW Invitational at the beginning of the season to propel them to a fast 7-4 start. Cleveland State is coming off of a 2-1 showing in its own invitational last weekend with wins against Buffalo and OVC foe Eastern Kentucky and a loss to Oakland. The Vikings are led this season, in part, by senior outside hitter Kara Koch (West Salem, Ohio). Koch currently has a .256 attack percentage, 105 digs and is averaging 4.88 kills per set, the fifth highest total in all of Division I.

West Virginia (6-6): The Mountaineers will enter the weekend after snapping a three-game win streak at Robert Morris on Tuesday. West Virginia ended last weekend by taking the final three games of its own Golden Horseshoe challenge with wins over St. Peter's, Radford and Wright State. The Racers and Mountaineers both hold wins over Radford this season and have both lost in tight 3-2 matches to St. Francis (Pa.). Freshman Caleah Wells (Red Oak, Texas) is already making her mark on the Mountaineers and currently leads them with team-highs in attack percentage (.340) and blocks per set (0.86).

Against The Field: The Racers are 1-2 all-time versus Cleveland State and 2-0 against West Virginia. MSU has lost the last two meetings with the Vikings, including a 3-0 defeat earlier this season in Fort Wayne, Ind. Saturday will mark just the third meeting with the Mountaineers and first since 2003. Murray State swept West Virginia in the first meeting in 1996 and ground out a 3-2 win in the last clash in 2003. This weekend's match will mark the first time the two teams have not met at a neutral site.

What's Next: This weekend's matches will be the final tune-up for the Racers before opening up OVC play at Racer Arena next Friday against Tennessee Tech. The match against Tennessee Tech will open a three-match home stand for MSU, featuring Jacksonville State on Saturday, Sep. 22 and Austin Peay on Tuesday, Sep. 25.