Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Austin Peay
Battle of Top Two Teams in OVC as Racers Host Austin Peay
10/29/2018 5:16:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Dates:Â Oct. 30th
Match Time:Â 7 p.m.
Opponents:Â Austin Peay
Site (Venue):Â Murray, Ky. (Racer Arena)
Live Stats:Â APSU
Watch: APSU
MSU Record (Streak):Â 15-9, 9-3 OVC (W9)
APSUÂ Record (Streak):Â 22-3, 11-1 OVC (W6)
All-Time Series vs. Austin Peay (Streak):Â 37-40 (L2)
MSU Next Match: Nov. 3 at Morehead State
Tuesday
In a battle between the two top teams in the Ohio Valley Conference, Murray State welcomes the Austin Peay Governors to Racer Arena, Tuesday in the Heritage Bank Battle of the Border. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Previous Match
The Murray State volleyball team extended their winning streak to nine with two wins over Southeast Missouri and UT Martin. In a four-set win over the Redhawks, Rachel Giustino recorded her first 20-20 match of her career, with 20 kills and 26 digs. Ashley McBee tallied 52 assists and Becca Fernandez led the team with 28 digs. The same trio led the Racers in sweep of UT Martin as Giustino had 15 kills, McBee had 26 assists, and Fernandez racked up 22 digs. Dacia Brown also contributed with 27 digs in the two matches.
OVC Honors
Rachel Giustino and Becca Fernandez each picked up OVC honors for their strong play over the weekend. Giustino won Offensive Player of the Week after averaging an OVC-high 5.00 kills per set. She also tallied 39 digs, recording her 11th and 12th straight double-doubles in the process. Fernandez claimed Defensive Player of the Week after racking up 50 digs in just seven sets for an average of 7.14 per set.
Home Sweet Home
After winning their first seven home matches of 2018, the Racers are now 47-2 at Racer Arena since 2014.
Conference Leaders
Murray State currently has the top two kills leaders in the OVC. Junior Rachel Giustino averages 4.09 kills per set, the only player in the OVC to be above four, while senior Dacia Brown is second in the conference, averaging 3.85.
20-20 Vision
Rachel Giustino recorded the first 20-20 match of her career against SEMO, Friday, becoming the first Racer to accomplish the feat since 3-time OVC Player of the Year Scottie Ingram accomplished the feat in the 2016 OVC Championship match against SIUE and the first time in a four-set match since Ingram did it against San Diego State on September 3, 2016. Before Ingram, a Racer had not had a 20-20 match since Tara DeMage in 2007.
Â
Scouting Austin Peay
The Governors are coming off two sweeps of UT Martin and Southeast Missouri and have now won six straight matches. They are currently in first place in the OVC with an 11-1 record and lead the OVC in hitting, digs, blocks, and aces during conference play. Cecily Gable and Brooke Moore lead the Govs' offense as they each average over three kills per set. Kristen Stucker leads the team with 11.24 assists per set and Ginny Gerig leads with 4.26 digs per set. Stucker has been named the OVC Setter of the Week six times this season and 20 times in her career.
Battle of the Border
In the 2018-19 Battle of the Border, Murray State currently leads Austin Peay, 9-3. The Racers took home three points each in men's cross country, women's cross country, and women's soccer while the Governors won the first volleyball match of the season.
