Rachel Essner
Staff Writer
The Murray State volleyball team took on Eastern Illinois University at Racer Arena on Sunday, March 14, and Monday, March 15. The Racers split the series, taking the first game 3-1 and dropping the second 3-1.
Game One
Prior to the game, Murray State honored senior setter Callie Anderton and senior middle blocker Katirah Johnson for their dedication and contribution to the program. Anderton came into the game with a career-total of 1,691 assists, with 352 assists in the 2021 season. Johnson, who has not played throughout the 2021 season because of a torn ACL, has a career total of 383 kills.
“Callie and Katirah have been here for four years and have done so much for this program,” said Head Coach David Schwepker. “We have won so much with them playing here.”
The Racers took the Panthers to four sets in game one, winning 3-1 in the first of the two-game series on Sunday, March 14. The scores were 25-20, 25-23, 23-25 and 25-12.
Freshman opposite hitter Jayla Holcombe led the Racers with 16 kills. She was followed by redshirt junior middle blocker Kolby McClelland with 13 kills, freshman middle blocker Darci Metzger with 12 and freshman outside hitter Taylor Beasley with nine. Beasley also put up four blocks for the Racers.
Anderton tallied 47 assists and 11 digs, while junior libero Becca Fernandez collected 22 digs and one service ace.
Murray State began the first set with a 4-1 lead with kills from Metzger and McClelland. The Panthers fought back and tied the game 8-8 before taking a 10-9 lead. Murray State used a 9-2 run to pull ahead of the Panthers, with four kills from McClelland to close out the set at 25-20.
The teams tied the second set at 12, but back-to-back kills from junior outside hitter Emily Matson and two attack errors from Eastern Illinois allowed Murray State to take the lead at 16-12. The Panthers jumped to a 22-22 tie, but an Eastern Illinois attack error and two kills from Holcombe brought the Racers to a 25-23 set win.
The Racers and the Panthers fought back-and-forth in the third set, with neither team gaining a lead of more than three points until the Panthers used a 5-0 run to take a 23-20 advantage. The Racers were able to tie the game at 23, but with a kill and a block, the Panthers took set three at 25-23.
Murray State dominated the fourth set, using a 10-2 run to take the lead at 17-6. After three kills in a row from Holcombe, the Racers substituted in Johnson on set point to serve the final point. A block from Metzger and Holcombe gave the Racers a 25-12 set win, taking the game 3-1.
Game Two
The Racers took a 3-1 loss against the Panthers in game two of the series, losing 25-16, 23-25, 19-25 and 23-25 on Monday, March 15. The Racers’ record dropped to 5-7, while the Panthers’ rose to 2-10.
McClelland and Metzger led the Racers with 12 kills apiece. McClelland also contributed nine digs for the Racers.
Beasley put up a strong wall on the net with a season-high of 10 blocks made up of four solo blocks and six block assists. Anderton tallied 41 assists and Fernandez counted 21 digs.
The Racers opened the first set, taking 10 of the first 11 points. With a 4-0 run, Eastern Illinois brought the game to 11-6, but the Racers retaliated with a 5-0 run with a kill from Metzger and a service ace from freshman back row player Dahlia Miller. With back-to-back kills from Metzger and Matson, Murray State cruised to a 25-16 win in the first set.
Neither team was able to build a lead of more than four points during set two. When losing at 12-14, the Racers used a 5-1 run to gain the 17-15 advantage, with kills from Holcombe, Metzger, Matson and McClelland. Murray State was up 22-21, but the Panthers scored four of the last five points to take the set 25-23.
The Panthers took the early lead in the third set, winning 12-8 over Murray State. The Racers fought back but were never able to close the gap to less than two points. With the Panthers ahead at 18-16, Eastern Illinois used a 7-3 run to close the set to 25-19, taking a 2-1 set advantage.
With the teams tied at 12 points in the fourth set, Murray State used a 6-1 run with two kills from Metzger and one from Matson to pull ahead to 18-13. The Panthers, however, fought back with a 9-2 rally to take the lead at 22-20. The Racers were able to tie the set at 23, but with a service error from Fernandez and an Eastern Illinois block, the Panthers took the fourth and final set at 25-23.
“Eastern Illinois played well today and our girls just weren’t able to respond,” Schwepker said. “Today we blocked better than we have ever blocked, but it truly comes down to offense and getting better at out hitting. We won’t be able to win if we don’t hit well.”
The Racers will host Tennessee Tech University on Sunday, March 21, and Monday, March 22, at 6 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Racer Arena.