Racers Host Belmont, SIU at Racer Arena

Murray State returns to Racer Arena this week for a pair of MVC matches, hosting Belmont on Thursday and Southern Illinois on Friday.

The Racers (2-16, 0-6 MVC) are back home after a weekend up north that ended in back-to-back sweeps at Valparaiso and UIC. This week also starts a home-and-home stretch as Murray State visits Belmont on Oct. 22 and Southern Illinois on Oct. 24.

MATCH PREVIEW: VS. BELMONT
Thursday, Oct. 15 | 6 p.m. | Racer Arena, Murray, Ky. | ESPN+

Series history: Thursday will be the 11th all-time meeting between the programs, a series where Belmont holds a 7-3 edge and has won the last three, most recently a four-set win at Racer Arena in November 2025.

Scouting the Bruins: Belmont is bouncing back from a sixth-place MVC finish in 2025 (8-9, 5-1 MVC) and sits second in the league standings behind UNI, already matching its 2025 conference wins. The Bruins opened conference play with four straight wins and 15 consecutive sets before falling at Bradley last weekend, their first MVC loss. The win streak included a sweep of Southern Illinois on Oct. 8. Belmont was picked fourth in the MVC preseason poll, tied with UIC, and leads the conference in hitting percentage at .240.

Sophomore middle blocker Erin McMullen leads the MVC with a .392 hitting percentage. She also has 156 kills and a team-high 44 blocks.
Senior Brenna Kauffeld leads the Bruins with 185 kills and was named MVC Player of the Week on Sept. 28.
Transfer libero Mya Bolton leads the team with 235 digs, fourth in the MVC.
Belmont runs two setters, Jordan Czajkowski (372 assists) and Alivia Keegan (317), and both have passed 1,000 career assists.
Junior DS Lauren Evans leads the team with 20 aces.
The Bruins are coached by second-year head coach Fritz Rosenberg and visit Evansville on Saturday.

MATCH PREVIEW: VS. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Friday, Oct. 16 | 5 p.m. | Racer Arena, Murray, Ky. | ESPN+

Series history: Friday will be the 29th all-time meeting between Murray State and Southern Illinois, with the Salukis leading 22-6. Southern Illinois took both meetings last season, with the first being a 3-1 win in the Racers' 2025 home opener on Sept. 26, and the second being a 3-0 win in Carbondale on Nov. 7. The Racers' last win in the series came in five sets at Carbondale in 2024.

Scouting the Salukis: Southern Illinois (9-9, 3-3 MVC) was picked eighth in the MVC preseason poll. The Salukis opened league play 3-0, a run that ended with a reverse sweep of Valparaiso on Oct. 2. They have dropped three straight since then: a reverse sweep by UIC on Oct. 3, a sweep at Belmont on Oct. 8 and a four-set loss to league-leading UNI on Oct. 10. SIU hosts Bradley on Saturday.

Senior libero Jillian Shaneyfelt anchors the back row with 308 digs, or 4.60 per set, through Oct. 8. She has been named MVC Libero of the Week twice this season, and led the nation in digs in the Valpo win.
McKenzie Moeller leads the team with 177 kills. Ella Swansiger is right behind her with 175 kills on a team-best .262 hitting.
Beatriz Piaia leads at the net with 64 blocks.
SIU splits setting duties between Ella McFarland (333 assists, team-high 20 aces) and Lillian Dempkey (275 assists). As a team, the Salukis average 1.72 aces per set.

RACER LEADERS

Kills: Anne Makowski, 211 (3.35 per set, sixth in the MVC)
Assists: Paige Brock, 271 (6.95 per set). Katie Titus adds 264 (7.14 per set).
Digs: Ada Tamturk, 225 (3.69 per set, first among MVC freshmen)
Blocks: Lily Evans, 49 (0.80 per set)
Hitting percentage: Maezi Snyder, .265 (second among MVC freshmen)
Service aces: Lily Evans, 14

RACER NOTES

Freshmen in every set: Snyder and Tamturk have played in all 64 sets this season.
Freshman impact: The five-player freshman class has accounted for 40.4% of the Racers' digs. As a group the freshmen are hitting .236, well above the team's .180 average.
Makowski the go-to option: Makowski has led the Racers in kills in 14 of 18 matches.
Serving success: Murray State ranks fifth in the MVC at 1.48 aces per set.

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Players Mentioned

Paige Brock

Lily Evans

Anne Makowski

Maezi Snyder

Ada Tamturk

Katie Titus

Murray State University Athletics