Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
UIC
10/29/2026 3:44:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Racers Return Home for Halloween Weekend Rematches with UIC, Drake
Murray State returns home to face off against UIC Friday night and Drake Saturday in a pair of Halloween weekend conference rematches.
The Racers (4-18, 2-8 MVC) are riding momentum after taking down Southern Illinois in five sets in Carbondale on Oct. 24, two days after falling to Belmont in four sets.
MATCH PREVIEW: VS UIC
Friday, Oct. 30 | 6 p.m. CT | Racer Arena, Murray, Ky. | ESPN+
Series History: Friday will be the 11th all-time meeting between Murray State and UIC. The Flames hold a 7-3 series advantage, winning five of the teams' six MVC conference matches.
Last Meeting: The Racers traveled to Chicago earlier this season, where UIC swept them 27-29, 17-25, and 15-25. Despite the loss, the Racers hit .219, their best in a five-game span in which they went 2-3. Lily Evans led the way in the Windy City for the Navy and Gold with ten kills on 20 swings, her second .500+ hitting percentage of the season. For the Flames, Emma Colombari posted 13 kills on .458 hitting, while Gabi Peter and Robyn Ward added 11 kills apiece. UIC hit .393 as a team, its second-best mark of the season.
Scouting the Flames: UIC (10-12, 6-4 MVC) has won two straight and six of its last seven conference matches after opening league play 0-3, including home sweeps of Valparaiso and Indiana State last weekend. The Flames are 4-5 on the road.
- Colombari leads the team with 199 kills, 2.52 per set.
- Peter has 184 kills and averages 2.72 kills per set on .264 hitting in MVC play.
- Tamara Kisic has 177 kills and 207 digs. She posted 21 kills on .442 hitting in a win at Drake on Oct. 16.
- Middle blocker Ward leads the team with 68 blocks (1.15 per set) and is hitting .381.
- UIC averages 2.60 blocks per set in conference play.
- The Flames run two setters: Paulina Ströh (379 assists) and Mihaela Harizanova (232).
- Libero Ava Young leads the team with 294 digs and averages 4.11 per set against MVC opponents.
- Judy Asar leads the team with 19 aces.
MATCH PREVIEW: VS DRAKE
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 5 p.m. CT | Racer Arena, Murray, Ky. | ESPN+
Series History: Saturday will be the eighth all-time meeting between Murray State and Drake, with the Bulldogs leading the series 7-0. Two of the last four meetings at Racer Arena and in Des Moines went the full five sets.
Last Meeting: The Racers fell in three sets at Drake on Sept. 25, 13-25, 18-25, 19-25. The Bulldogs hit .312 and outblocked Murray State 8-3. Lisa Melenciano led Drake with 13 kills, Aniyah Davis added eight kills on .538 hitting with four blocks, and Kamryn Behrns hit .700 with seven kills.
Scouting the Bulldogs: Drake (11-11, 6-4 MVC) enters on a three-match win streak, including five-set wins over Bradley and Evansville last weekend. The Bulldogs are 5-1 in five-set matches this season and 3-5 on the road.
- Caroline Smith leads the team with 199 kills and averages 3.16 kills per set in MVC play. She had a season-high 24 kills against Bradley on Oct. 23.
- Melenciano has 187 kills and leads the team with 2.88 kills per set.
- Shay McMillen averages 2.82 kills per set in league play and had 22 kills against Evansville on Saturday.
- Behrns has 152 kills, including 18 on .432 hitting against UIC.
- Davis leads the team with 81 blocks, 1.03 per set. Bliss Beck adds 69 blocks and is hitting .325.
- Setter Katie Quick has 560 assists and averages 7.88 per set in conference play.
- Libero Jasmine Dulan leads the team with 458 digs, 5.45 per set.
RACER LEADERS
- Kills: Anne Makowski, 260 (3.25 per set, sixth in the MVC)
- Assists: Paige Brock, 432 (7.32 per set)
- Digs: Ada Tamturk, 248 (3.40 per set, first among MVC freshmen)
- Blocks: Lily Evans, 61 (0.75 per set)
- Hitting percentage: Maezi Snyder, .246 (second among MVC freshmen)
- Service aces: Lily Evans & Ceren Durak, 16
RACER NOTES
- All hands on deck: Five Racers recorded 10+ kills in the win at SIU, the first time that has happened since Oct. 13, 2021. Makowski led the way with 19, Alexa Watts added 11, and Evans, Snyder and Mija Pristovnik all recorded 10. The Racers also set season highs with 60 kills and 58 assists.
- Road warriors: The win in Carbondale was Murray State's first MVC road win of the season and completed a season sweep of the Salukis.
- Nelson stepping in: Sam Nelson took over as starting libero Oct. 15 against Belmont with Tamturk out. She has continued to start since Tamturk returned and has led the Racers in digs in each of the last four matches.
- Mashin' Makowski: Makowski has led or shared the team lead in kills in 15 of the Racers' 20 matches. She set a career high with 24 kills against Indiana State on Oct. 3.
- New kids on the block: Through 22 matches, the five-player freshman class has accounted for 33.2% of the Racers' digs and 26.0% of their points. As a group, the freshmen are hitting .207, above the team's .172 average.
- Dog gone dominant: Murray State is 4-1 against teams with dog mascots this season.
