Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Evansville
Racers Set for Home-Opening Weekend at Racer Arena
10/1/2026 6:40:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Murray State returns home to historic Racer Arena for the first time this season when the Racers host Evansville and Indiana State for their 2026 home-opening weekend.
After playing their first 14 matches of the season away from Murray, the Racers (2-12, 0-2 MVC) will take their home floor Friday at 6 p.m. against Evansville (3-11, 0-2 MVC)Â before closing the weekend Saturday at 6 p.m. against Indiana State (6-7, 0-2 MVC).
Match Information
Friday, Oct. 2 vs. Evansville, 6 p.m.
Evansville enters Friday's match at 3-11 overall and 0-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play after opening its conference schedule with a pair of home losses to Southern Illinois and Bradley. The Purple Aces pushed Southern Illinois to five sets in their MVC opener before falling 3-2, then took the opening set against Bradley before dropping the next three in a 3-1 loss.
Murray State leads the all-time series against Evansville 9-8 in matches played in Murray and has won each of the last three meetings between the two programs. The Racers hold a current three-match winning streak in the series, with the last being a five-set victory at Racer Arena on Oct. 25, 2023.
Saturday, Oct. 3 vs. Indiana State, 6 p.m.
Indiana State enters the weekend at 6-7 overall and 0-2 in MVC play after dropping its first two conference matches to Bradley and Southern Illinois. The Sycamores were swept in both matches after entering Valley play on a three-match winning streak that included victories over Stonehill, Columbia and Purdue Fort Wayne. Indiana State will travel to Belmont on Friday before making the trip to Murray for Saturday's match.
Murray State holds a 7-2 advantage in the all-time series against Indiana State and is 3-1 against the Sycamores in Murray. Indiana State took the most recent meeting between the two teams, earning a five-set victory at Racer Arena on Oct. 11, 2025.
The weekend marks the end of a season-opening stretch that saw Murray State play each of its first 14 matches away from Racer Arena. The Racers enter their home opener at 2-12 overall and 0-2 in MVC play after opening their conference schedule on the road against Drake and Northern Iowa.
Racers Leaders and Notes
- Anne Makowski has led the Murray State attack through the first 14 matches of the season, recording a team-high 148 kills while averaging 3.08 kills per set - both good for 7th in the MVC.
- Katie Titus has helped run the Racers' offense with 255 assists and 7.08 assists per set while recording back-to-back double-doubles this season in matches against The Citadel and Northwestern State on Sept. 18.
- Freshman libero Ada Tamturk has made an immediate impact defensively, leading Murray State with 158 digs and averaging 3.35 digs per set, both good for third among MVC freshmen.
- Lily Evans has anchored the Racers at the net with a team-high 38 total blocks. The senior recorded a season-high five blocks to go along with 13 kills in Murray State's four-set victory over The Citadel on Sept. 18.
- Freshman Maezi Snyder has added another presence at the net with 28 total blocks while continuing to develop offensively. Snyder posted a career-best .417 hitting percentage in Murray State's MVC opener at Drake on Sept. 25.
- Ceren Durak has also worked her way into the rotation during her freshman campaign, totaling 65 kills and 64 digs through the first 14 matches.
- Murray State's five true freshmen, Snyder, Tamturk, Durak, Melis Aydin and Teodora Cickovic, have accounted for nearly 30% of the Racers' kills and points while contributing close to 40% of the team's digs this season.
- Friday will mark Tristyn Krzos' first match at Racer Arena as Murray State's head coach. Krzos earned her first career victory as a Division I head coach with a sweep of Northern Illinois on Sept. 4 before picking up her second win against The Citadel on Sept. 18.
