Rachel Essner
Staff Writer
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After five months of preparation, the Murray State volleyball team will hit the court once again, returning 10 players from last season and gaining four new players.

Two of the returning  players, senior libero Becca Fernandez and sophomore outside hitter Jayla Holcombe, were named to the Preseason All-OVC team, Fernandez’s third time and Holcombe’s first. Both were named to the first-team All-OVC at the end of the 2020 season with Fernandez also being named the Defensive Player of the Year. The team as a whole is predicted to finish seventh overall in the upcoming season after finishing the previous season with a 5-11 overall record.

The Racers will begin the 2021 season by traveling to Macon, Georgia, for the Mercer Bear Classic on Aug. 27-28, where they will face the University of New Hampshire, Stetson University and Mercer University. The following weekend, the Racers will travel to Saint Louis, Missouri to participate in the Billiken Invitational in which they will compete against University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas State University and Saint Louis University on Sept. 3-4.

The Racers continue on the road to Statesboro, Georgia, on Sept. 10-11 to compete in the Eagle Invitational against Florida International University and Georgia Southern University. The next stop on the road is Evansville, Indiana, on Sept. 17-18 in the Dunn Hospitality Tournament against Cleveland State University, Liberty University and the University of Evansville.

Murray State will finally hit home court for a two-game series against Eastern Illinois University on Sept. 24-25 for their first conference match. The following weekend, the Racers will travel to Morehead State University for a two-game series against the Eagles on Oct. 1-2.

The Racers will go to the University of Tennessee-Martin for their next two-game conference series on Oct. 8-9 with a four-day turnaround to play at Austin Peay State University on Oct. 13.

The Racers will return home for two weekends in a row, playing Tennessee Tech University on Oct. 15-16 and Tennessee State University on Oct.  21-22. The following weekend the Racers will travel to Belmont University to take on the Bruins on Oct.  29-30.

Murray State will take on Southeast Missouri State University for a two-game series and Austin Peay for a weeknight game at Racer Arena on Nov. 5-6 and 10, respectively.

Rounding up the season, the Racers will travel to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to compete against the Cougars for their final two-game series of the season on Nov. 12-13.

The Racers look to finish above their projected seventh overall-rank in hopes of grabbing a top four spot to advance to the OVC tournament.