Story by Blake Sandlin
Sports Editor
bsandlin1@murraystate.edu
Murray State volleyball toppled the No. 1 team in the OVC by beating Austin Peay 3-1, winning 25-14, 25-15, 14-25 and 25-11.
With the win, the Racers improved their regular season record to 16-9 and extended their winning streak to 10 games. The team is yet to drop a game at home this season.
Murray State came into Tuesday’s game firing on all cylinders. Junior outside hitter Rachel Giustino recorded two kills early for the Racers to help them jump to 8-3 early. Giustino added four more kills later in the set to allow Murray State to coast to a commanding 25-14 set win.
The second set spelled more of the same for the Racers, as contributions from senior outside hitter Dacia Brown helped the team pull away early. However, Austin Peay would counter by taking their first lead at 11-10.
Junior outside hitter Megan Lindsay used a pivotal kill to reclaim the Racer lead at 13-12, and the rest was history. Murray State found its footing and went on a 12-3 run to secure a 25-15 win and swing momentum in its favor.
Nevertheless, the Governors didn’t falter. In the third set, they rallied by delivering blow after blow to the Racers. Murray State never led in the third set, as Austin Peay senior outside hitters Logan Carger and Cecily Gable netted six and four kills, respectively. Their contributions helped the Governors secure a 25-14 win.
The fourth set belonged to Brown. She compiled five kills to help the Racers come out handily 25-11 in a set that was hardly in doubt from the beginning.
Murray State Head Coach Dave Schwepker said the team changed its approach going into the fourth set.
“We changed a few things about what we needed to do to maybe slow down Austin Peay a little bit,” Schwepker said. “The girls went out and listened to what we said and I was really proud of them because they listened and made the changes.”
With Tuesday’s win at Racer Arena, Murray State will be on the road for the remaining three games of the season. Their next game will come at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, at Morehead State.