Jonathan Dunning
Contributing Writer
After suffering its first OVC loss of the season, the Murray State volleyball team beat rivals Austin Peay State University 3-1 on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Senior outside hitter Rachel Giustino led the Racers in kills with 29, followed by senior right-side hitter Rachel Holthaus with 17 kills. Junior setter Ashley McBee made 31 assists, while junior libero Becca Fernandez had 24 digs for the night.
The Racers opened the first set with a 4-1 lead. However, Austin Peay remained tight on Murray State’s heels, eventually tying the game at 9-9. The Racers regained the lead with a kill by sophomore middle blocker Kolby McClelland and did not lose it again. Murray State won the set with a 25-20 score.
The second set proved to be a tougher bout as the Racers and Governors stayed neck-and-neck with one another until the game was tied at 10-10. Four kills by Giustino and a kill by Holthaus helped propel the Racers to a 18-11 lead over Austin Peay. With a score of 25-17, Murray State won the second set.
During the third set, the Governors stayed ahead of the Racers early on before Murray State tied the game at 5-5. Austin Peay quickly recovered the lead to 6-5. The Racers fought back with two kills by Giustino and a kill by McClelland to take the lead with a 9-8 score. However, the Governors gained momentum and outscored the Racers 25-20 to give Austin Peay their first set of the night.
Following their win in the third set, the Governors kept the momentum going by opening with a 3-0 score in the fourth set. It wasn’t until two kills by Giustino put the Racers at 8-7 thatMurray State took the lead for the first time in the set. Another kill by Giustino and a kill by McBee allowed the Racers to widen their lead to 10-7 over Austin Peay. Murray State maintained their lead through the rest of the set, taking it with a 25-14 score. With the win in this set, the Racers defeated Austin Peay 3-1.
After the Racers’ victory, Head Coach David Schwepker discussed the rivalry between Murray State and Austin Peay.
“I know it’s a big deal for our school with the Battle of the Border to get those points,” Schwepker said. “It’s really hard to play at Austin Peay because the gym is so big and they are such a good team, so going over there and being able to get a win is really huge.”
Schwepker also commented on Murray State’s next game against Eastern Kentucky University.
“You know, we are just going to keep it within ourselves and we are going to work on what we gotta do, and then we’ll see if that can be good enough to beat them,” Schwepker said.
The Racers will face the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, at Alumni Coliseum in Richmond, Kentucky.