The women’s volleyball team went 4-21 in the 2025 season, finishing last in the Missouri Valley Conference after a six-game losing streak to end the season- falling short of making the MVC tournament.
Head coach David Schwepker entered his 27th season for the Racers, the strongest and most successful coach for the Racer volleyball team. In 2022, he led the Racers to their first MVC tournament, but they have yet to make another appearance.
The Racers’ offense lacked its spark from the 2024 season, where they went 14-14. Their season was cut short by late-season losses against Bradley, Illinois State, Belmont and Valparaiso. The Racers’ star players who shone in the 2024 season while still leading their respective categories, had a noticeable difference in their performances this year.
Senior outside hitter Ella Vogel ended her senior year with Murray State with a 322 kill season, putting her fifth in career kills for the Racers with 1,277 across her four seasons. Vogel led the team in kills and was responsible for 355.5 out of the Racers’ 1,310 total points. She had her highest kill game on Friday, Oct. 10, against Indiana State where she reached 24 kills and her season-high 26 points. Although her offensive shine primarily through kills, she also had the second most blocks for the Racers with 51, only behind senior middle hitter Morgan McClure who earned 72.
An underrated attacker this season has was junior outside hitter Lily Burnett. Although she only played in 51 sets – considerably less than other players on the roster – she finished with 112 kills, the fourth most on the team. Freshman setter Katie Titus highlights a bright future for the Racers as she leads the team with 416 assists and fourth most digs with 132 in her first season. Another freshman, libero Halle Forester, had 191 digs, the most for the team, and with the fourth most digs on the Racers with 28.
The Racers’ strongest game occurred on Sept. 5 with their win against Western Illinois where they scored a total of 86 points through five sets, their most amount of points scored in a game that resulted in a win. The key players in that game were Vogel with 17 kills, freshman outside hitter Mija Pristovnik with 15 and Burnett with 14. Alongside her double-digit kills, Vogel also had a game-leading 14 digs.
As a team, the Racers’ offense is underproducing kills, as their opponents score 286 more kills than the Racers. The Racers were also unable to have a winning streak of any kind; all four of their wins spread out, snapping their losing streaks just to start another in the next game. Murray State commits 49 more errors than their opponents, causing close sets to be lost not from their weak offense, but instead, problems on their defense. However, one of the Racer’s skills involve their solo blocking where they have 19 more successes than other teams.
While defending, the Racers have shown more resilience with 1,250 digs in 94 sets, highlighting the strengths of Forester, Nuccio, and Pristovnik. The Racers made more attempts both defensively and offensively but also made increasingly more reception and attack errors.
Even though the Racers’ 2025 season ended without an MVC spot, there are multiple impressive rookies to look out for next season. With the star newcomers Titus, Forester, and Pristovnik all expected to play in the 2026 season, the Racers show hope for the seasons to come as their rookies develop and continue to grow. The graduating seniors McClure, Nuccio, Vogel, and Miliou ended their tenures with 776 combined points in 337 sets played.
