The Racer volleyball team will kick off their 2025 campaign with a fresh start on a familiar court on Aug. 29 in Clarksville, Tennessee, to write a new story after an abrupt end to their 2024 season in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament in November.
The Racers wrapped up their previous season with an even 14-14 record overall, going 9-9 in the conference with wins against Indiana State, Evansville, Southern Illinois, Missouri State, UIC, Belmont and Illinois State. Head coach David Schwepker, the longest-tenured and winningest coach in Murray State volleyball history will be returning for his 27th season with the Racers.
Veteran player Ella Vogel will return for her senior year after starting all 28 matches last season and leading the Racers in kills with 431 total and an average of 3.92 per set, which also placed her at third best in the MVC. She was one of six players named to the preseason All-MVC team on Aug. 25. The third-year starter has also earned the All MVC First-Team award and totaled 69 blocks.
Fellow seasoned starter and senior Federica Nuccio will join Vogel on the court, looking to improve upon her 216 total kills, which averaged out to two per set. Local junior Lily Burnett will be back in action as well after earning 237 kills, averaging 2.47 per set, just behind Vogel in the ranks.
A few fresh faces will join the returning Racers this season. With newcomers hailing from across both the Midwest and Middle East, the team stands at seventh in the MVC coming into the new season.
The Racers welcomed two freshman Middle Eastern players and one European player earlier this year, all with extensive resumes. Burcu Gulomur is a middle blocker from Turkey and has won multiple championships across various leagues, most recently with her volleyball team in Izmir, Turkey. Elita Foti, a setter from Cyprus, won the U16 women’s championship and has played for the Cypriot Junior National Team. Hailing from Central Europe, Mija Pristovnik joins Murray from Slovenia after winning both the U17/18 Volleyball European Championships as well as the U20 Volleyball European Championships.
In November, Schwepker signed four incoming freshmen who each collectively hold eight district championships, eight all-district awards, eight all-region awards and two all-state awards. Anne Makowski, an outside hitter from St. Louis, holds the 2024 state championship title, and Halle Forester, a libero from Strafford, Missouri, holds the 2021 state runner-up title. Forester is also a 2x top-five beach volleyball national finalist and earned over 1,000 digs during her high school career. Hendersonville, Tennessee, native Katie Titus comes in with over 700 assists and 500 kills and digs each in high school, and she was also named both the all-district and Sumner County Most Valuable Player. Samantha Nelson, a libero from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, has claimed three district and regional championships while being named to the all-region and all-district teams each time.
“Anne is just coming off of winning a Missouri State 4A Championship and is going to add some great offense to our program, while Sam and Halle are incredible defenders and passers with that crazy and fearless tenacity needed to be great at this level. Katie is rounding out the class as an exceptional setter with height and athletic ability that will also allow her to put up a solid block. And while they are all exceptional athletes, they are equally as great in the classroom,” Schwepker said to GoRacers.com.
With the addition of six new Racers, the team is ready to wipe their slate clean and begin their 2025 season against their former Ohio Valley Conference rival, Austin Peay, on their home court at the Stacheville Challenge. The team will continue their travels in St. Louis, Sept. 5-6 for the Billiken Invitational, hosted by St. Louis University. Their non-conference play will finish in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, from Sept. 12-13 at the SEMO Tournament.
Their eight-game home campaign will begin in Racer Arena on Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. against the Southern Illinois Salukis, and will end on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. against the Northern Iowa Panthers.
Check thenews.org and goracers.com for frequent updates throughout the season.
