By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information
THE MATCHUPS
Friday, October 25 – Austin Peay, 7 p.m. | Live Video | Live Stats
Saturday, October 26 – Murray State, 7 p.m. | Live Video | Live Stats
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tech volleyball returns home to close out the month of October, hosting Austin Peay on Friday and Murray State on Saturday in the Hooper Eblen Center. First serve for both games is set for 7 p.m.
The Golden Eagles (9-12, 5-3 OVC) are coming off a 1-1 weekend in which Tech fell in a five-set battle against Eastern Illinois, before claiming a 3-1 victory over SIUE.
The Golden Eagles sit currently in a three-way tie for fifth with Austin Peay (7-15, 5-3 OVC), while Murray State (12-8, 6-2 OVC) is currently in a four-way tie for first in the OVC standings.
TEAM NOTES
- Junior Ali Verzani led the Golden Eagles offensively as she hit .201 and tallied 33 kills, averaging 3.67 per set.
- Verzani earned a pair of double-doubles this weekend as she recorded 17 kills and 11 digs in the match against Eastern Illinois, before collecting 16 kills and 10 digs against the Cougars.
- The pair of games marked Verzani's 10th and 11th double-double of the season.
- Sophomore Taylor Dorsey also had a big week, tallying 27 kills and 10 blocks over the previous two matches.
- Sophomore Ashley Hand leads the team in assists this season, garnering 95 assists against EIU and SIUE, which included tying a career-high of 58 against the Panthers.
- Hand also recorded her 10th double-double of the season adding 17 digs against Eastern Illinois.
- Freshman Carly Skrabak anchored the Golden Eagles' back row this past weekend, tallying 44 digs, including a 30-dig performance against Eastern Illinois
SCOUTING THE GOVERNORS
(2019 Record: 7-15, 5-3 OVC | Series Record 50-38)
Austin Peay is 7-15 on the season and 5-3 during league play in 2019 so far. The Governors earned a pair of sweeps over Tennessee State and Belmont this past weekend.
The Governors are led by Brooke Moore and Chloe Stitt, who are averaging 3.41 and 3.14 kills per set, respectively. Caroline Waite leads the team in assists with a team-leading 448, while Kelsey Mead has produced 319 assists, helping lead Austin Peay to a .177 hitting percentage. Karli Graham leads the Governors in blocks with 60 on the season, while Ginny Gerig-Busse anchors Austin Peay's back row, averaging 4.75 digs per set.
Tech leads the all-time series against the Governors, 50-38. However, Austin Peay is on a three-game winning streak over the Golden Eagles with Tech's last victory coming in a 3-0 sweep during the 2015 season.
SCOUTING THE RACERS
(2019 Record: 12-8, 6-2 OVC | Series Record 26-39)
Murray State is currently 12-8 overall and 6-2 in conference play. Prior to this weekend, the Racers are coming off a pair of sweeps over Belmont and Tennessee State. Murray State will take on Jacksonville State on Friday evening, before making the trip to Cookeville for Saturday's matchup.
Rachel Giustino heads the Racers offensively as she averages 5.22 kills per set. Ashley McBee leads the team in assists, averaging 10.63 assists per set and helping to lead the Racers to a .209 hitting percentage this season. Becca Fernandez and Giustino anchor the Racers' back row, securing 330 and 212 digs this season, respectively. At the net, two Racers have tallied over 20 blocks this season with Rachel Holthaus leading the way with 26, followed by Giustino with 23 on the season.
Murray State holds the all-time series lead over the Golden Eagles, 26-39. The Racers are on an eight-game winning streak over Tech dating back to the 2012 season. The Golden Eagles' last win was during the 2011 season when Tech defeated Murray State 3-1.
UP NEXT
Tech will close out its three-game homestand on Wednesday, October 30 as they host Jacksonville State at 7 p.m. in the Hoop.
Photo by Jim Dillon
