Murray State
Valparaiso University
Volleyball to Face Beacons in First Round Matchup
11/22/2024 10:03:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
The seventh-seeded Racers will take on Valpo at the MVC Volleyball Championship.
Date(Time): November 23 (6 p.m. CT)
Site(Venue): Cedar Falls, Iowa (McLeod Center)
Opponent: Valparaiso Beacons
Stats: GoRacers.com
TV: ESPN+
The Murray State Racers (14-13, 9-9 MVC) will face the Valparaiso Beacons (17-13, 9-9 MVC) in a first-round matchup at the Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship.Â
ÂFollowing three straight losses, the Racers are seeded seventh while Valpo is sitting in sixth after winning two of their final three matches. Â
ÂThe two teams previously met on Friday, October 18, at Racer Arena, with the Beacons winning 3-1. The Racers were held to an attacking percentage of just .135, and Elise Swistek led the Beacons with 16 kills. Valpo came out strong winning the first set 25-15 before the Racers countered with a 25-17 win in the second. The Beacons clinched the win by taking the third 25-20 and hanging on in the fourth to win 25-23.  Â
ÂThe Racers have seen several players reach historic milestones this season with libero Dahlia Miller becoming the fourth player in Murray State history to record 2000 career digs, and Darci Metzger becoming the fifteen player to reach 1000 career kills.Â
ÂThe Racers continue to be among the most efficient teams in the MVC, hitting at a .217 clip, good for fourth in the conference. Averaging 16.69 digs per set, the Racers are in the top 30 nationally and fifth in the MVC. They are led by graduate Dahlia Miller who currently sits third in the MVC and fourth in the nation with 5.42 digs per set. Â
ÂSetter Bailey DeMier is second in the MVC at 9.86 assists per set as she pursues the Murray State all-time assists record. Ella Vogel sits third in the MVC in both total points and kills, averaging 3.87 kills per set with 410 kills and 466.5 points on the season. Vogel also leads the team with 63 blocks on the season while Haidi Milio adds 57. Â
ÂValparaiso has been one of the top defensive units in the MVC this season, allowing the second-lowest opponent hitting percentage in the conference at .176. Junior libero Emma Hinkney is second in the MVC and third in the nation in digs per set with an average of 5.63. Freshman Jessica Pickett is third in the MVC in total blocks and blocks per set with 126 and an average of 1.11. Senior Elise Swistek leads the team with 345 kills on the season.
ÂWith a win, the Racers would advance to the quarterfinals and face three-seed UIC on Sunday, November 24 at 6 p.m. CT.
ÂFollow the Racers on Twitter (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics), and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics. Follow Murray State volleyball on Twitter and Instagram (@RacersVB).
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