Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
22-9
Austin Peay
27-5
Champions! Racers Sweep Austin Peay for OVC Title
11/17/2018 4:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
It has been a special 53 days for the Murray State volleyball team. After going .500 in non-conference play, the Racers started the conference season 0-3 and were looking up at everyone in the OVC. Since September 25, however, Murray State has won 16 straight matches and are now Ohio Valley Conference champions.
Murray State entered the championship match, Saturday afternoon, looking for revenge against Austin Peay after the Governors outlasted MSU in five sets in the 2017 title match. This year, it only took three sets as the Racers swept Austin Peay to win the 2018 OVC title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The 16 wins in a row also match the best streak in school history, having also done so in 2015.
Junior Rachel Giustino was named tournament MVP after hitting .349 with a team-high 45 kills. Classmate Rachel Holthaus and senior Dacia Brown joined Giustino on the first-team all-tournament team. Holthaus hit .359 with 25 kills and 27 digs while Brown had 41 kills and seven blocks, including four solo blocks.
In the championship match, Giustino led the Racers with 14 kills while hitting .444. Brown added 13 kills and Holthaus chipped in with 10 of her own. Sophomore Ashley McBee had a double-double with 40 assists and 12 digs while fellow sophomore Becca Fernandez tallied a game-high 15 digs. Holthaus and Brown also led the front line with three blocks each.
The first set did not get off to a great start for the Racers as Austin Peay started off the match with an ace, but after that it was all Murray State. The Racers went on an 8-3 run to take the lead and never let up as they used a 7-2 run to take a 20-11 lead. McBee gave the Racers set point with a block and after a couple points by the Governors, Brown mashed a kill to give the Racers the set, 25-15.
Murray State used their momentum from the first set to jump out to a 7-2 lead in the second, forcing the Governors to call an early timeout. A 5-0 run by the Racers later in the set put the Cougars up by 11 at 20-9. After trading points, the Racers reached set point at 24-14, but after six straight points by Austin Peay, the Racers only led by four. However, sophomore Katirah Johnson clinched the set for MSU with a kill down the middle of the court.
In the third set, both teams fought hard to keep the set close early on. Austin Peay had a mini 3-0 run to take a 13-11 run, forcing a Racer timeout, but Brown and Giustino notched kills out of the huddle to tie the set at 13. Murray State followed with a 4-0 run a couple of rallies later, which included three kills from Giustino, to take an 18-15 lead, but the Governors answered to tie the set at 20. A kill by Brown sparked a 4-1 run to give the Racers match point and after a kill by APSU, redshirt-freshman Kolby McClelland swung and hit a ball that was partially blocked, but landed on the Austin Peay side of the net to give the Racers the title.
It is the fifth title in program history for Murray State, having one previously in 2016, 2014, 2003, 1992, and 1989. It is also the second time the Racers have clinched the OVC title in Clarksville after 1992. The 2018 NCAA Volleyball Selection show will be on ESPNU, November 25 at 7:30 p.m.
