Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Valparaiso
Racers Carry Season Highs Into Weekend at Valpo, UIC
10/8/2026 8:33:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Murray State will head north to continue conference play at Valparaiso on Friday and UIC on Saturday.
The Racers (2-14, 0-4 MVC) are looking to bounce back after dropping both of their home-opening matches, a four-set loss to Evansville on Oct. 2 and a five-set thriller against Indiana State on Oct. 3. Despite the losses, the Navy and Gold have something to build off of, as the match against Indiana State was the team's best performance of the season in kills (57), digs (75), blocks (13) and assists (51), and its second best in team hitting percentage (.247). Along with the team highs, several Racers set career highs over the weekend.
CAREER-HIGH WEEKEND
- Sophomore OH Anne Makowski set a career high with 24 kills on .274 hitting against Indiana State, topping the 19 she posted at Middle Tennessee on Sept. 12.
- Freshman libero Ada Tamturk set a career high with 32 digs against Indiana State, the most by a Murray State freshman since 2008. She followed a 25-dig outing against Evansville the night before.
- Sophomore OH Mija Pristovnik set a career high with 14 kills on .400 hitting against Evansville and added three service aces.
- Senior OH Lily Evans set a career high with seven blocks against Indiana State, where she also hit .474 with nine kills and no errors.
- Senior OH Alexa Watts set a career high with 18 digs against Indiana State after serving three aces against Evansville.
MATCH PREVIEW: AT VALPARAISO
Friday, Oct. 9 | 6 p.m. | Athletics-Recreation Center, Valparaiso, Ind. | ESPN+
Series history: Friday will be the 13th all-time meeting between Murray State and Valparaiso, a series in which the Beacons hold a 10-2 advantage, including a 6-2 mark since the Racers joined the MVC. Valpo has won the last four meetings, most recently a straight-sets win in Racer Arena on Nov. 8, 2025. The Racers' last win in the series came in five sets at Valparaiso on Oct. 28, 2023.
Scouting the Beacons: Valparaiso (9-7, 1-3 MVC) was picked third in the MVC preseason poll and hosts Evansville on Thursday before welcoming the Racers. The Beacons picked up their first MVC win against UIC on Sept. 30, then fell in five sets at Southern Illinois on Oct. 2 after winning the first two. Valpo ranks third in the conference in hitting percentage (.219), kills per set (13.05) and opponent hitting percentage (.210), and second in service aces per set (1.91). Ava Helming, the Beacons' lone preseason All-MVC pick, ranks third in the league with 3.71 kills per set, and fellow junior Jordyn Gove is fifth at 3.35. The Beacon's middle blocker, Jessica Pickett, is second in the MVC with a .365 hitting percentage and leads the team in blocks (50), while Maggie Uhwat is third in the league with 0.48 aces per set.
MATCH PREVIEW: AT UIC
Saturday, Oct. 10 | 5 p.m. | Credit Union 1 Arena, Chicago, Ill. | ESPN+
Series history: Saturday will be the 10th all-time meeting between Murray State and UIC, with the Flames holding a 6-3 edge. The teams split their last two meetings, as the Racers won 3-1 at home on Oct. 19, 2024 before falling in five sets in Chicago on Oct. 17, 2025.
Scouting the Flames: UIC (5-11, 1-3 MVC) was picked to tie for fourth in the MVC preseason poll and hosts Evansville on Friday before welcoming the Racers. The Flames picked up their first MVC win in five sets at Southern Illinois on Oct. 3, three days after falling 3-1 at Valparaiso. UIC's strength is at the net, where it ranks second in the conference with 2.25 blocks per set. Robyn Ward ranks fourth in the MVC with 1.08 blocks per set and sixth with a .338 hitting percentage, and fellow middle Jillian Gibbons is right behind her at .331, seventh in the league, with 0.88 blocks per set. Emma Colombari leads the Flames with 2.44 kills per set, and senior Gabi Peter adds 2.25. UIC runs two setters in Paulina Ströh (4.88 assists per set) and Judy Asar (4.65), and Asar is also fourth in the MVC with 0.44 aces per set. Libero Ava Young leads the back row with 3.22 digs per set.
RACER LEADERS
- Kills: Anne Makowski, 183 (3.21 per set, sixth in the MVC)
- Assists: Katie Titus, 264 (7.14 per set, fourth in the MVC). Paige Brock adds 236 (6.56 per set).
- Digs: Ada Tamturk, 215 (3.71 per set, sixth in the MVC and first among MVC freshmen)
- Blocks: Lily Evans, 47 (0.81 per set)
- Hitting percentage: Maezi Snyder, .259 (second among MVC freshmen)
- Service aces: Lily Evans and Mija Pristovnik, 13 each
RACER NOTES
- Freshmen in every set: Snyder and Tamturk have played in all 58 sets this season.
- Makowski the go-to option: Makowski has led the Racers in kills in 12 of 16 matches.
- Serving success: The Racers set a season high with 12 aces against Evansville and rank fifth in the MVC at 1.48 aces per set.
