Ronan Summers
Contributing Writer
rsummers6@murraystate.edu
In the first invitations of the season, the Murray State volleyball team dropped all three games on Friday, Sept. 2 and Saturday, Sept. 3.
The Racers faced fierce competition at the invitational, taking on Winthrop University, of North Carolina Wilmington and Liberty University.
Game One
Murray State faced the Eagles of Winthrop in its first match of the Liberty Invitational on Friday, Sept. 2.
A 4-point rally that was initiated after a Winthrop service error put Murray State in good standing early on in the first set. Freshman libero Gabriela Felix-Baeza followed with a service ace.
A Winthrop attack error came after Felix-Baeza’s service ace, and another one followed. This rally came at a good time, as Murray was up 7-3 once it came to an end. The Racers won the first set 25-19.
The second set was heavily contested, but the Racers dropped it, losing 25-23. Junior outside hitter Morgan Price helped the Racers keep it close, totaling five kills in the set.
The Racers then went on to lose the third set 25-15. Winthrop continued to leave its foot on the gas, as it won the fourth and final set 25-17.
Freshman outside hitter Federica Nuccio led the team in kills with 13 on 38 total attacks. Price was close behind Nuccio with 12 kills on 20 total attacks.
Junior libero Dahlia Miller led the Racers in digs with 14; she also had six assists. Sophomore setter Bailey DeMier totaled 13 digs and the most assists among Racers with 37. Despite a strong effort, the Racers ultimately fell to the Eagles 3-1.
Game Two
Murray State played their second match of the day on Friday, Sept. 2 against the University of North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks.
The Racers were down 19-14 in the first set. A rally started by a kill from Price got the team rolling, as they went on to score four more points to complete a five-point run. Price had another kill in the run, while Nuccio had three other kills that led to points.
The Racers ultimately lost the first set by a score of 25-21.
The Racers bounced back in the second set thanks to a huge 8-point rally to catapult them ahead. The run consisted of five UNC Wilmington attack errors, a kill by Price and a pair of kills from junior middle blocker Darci Metzger.
This rally opened the door for the Racers to win the second set 25-18.
The Racers were able to stop a late 4-point Seahawks rally and close out the third set, winning 25-21. Nuccio and junior outside hitter Jayla Holcombe had four kills each in the set.
The Racers put together a few rallies, but it wasn’t enough. The Seahawks tied the game 2-2 after winning the fourth set 25-18.
The fifth and final set saw the Seahawks getting an early lead and never looking back. A 5-point Seahawks rally helped them win the final set by a score of 15-6.
DeMier led the Racers in assists once again with 37. She also recorded two blocks, 15 digs and an ace. Miller had five assists and led her team in digs with 17.
Nuccio led the Racers in kills with 17 and recorded 13 total digs. DeMier and Metzger each had two blocks, which led the team. Despite having 74 digs to the Seahawks’ 57, the Racers lost the matchup 3-2.
Game Three
The Racers dropped the final game of the Liberty Invitational against the Liberty Flames 3-0.
The Racers fought to get their first win of the invitational but struggled to win a set. Liberty took the first set 25-22. Holcombe and Nuccio each had four kills in the set.
The Racers started the second set by gaining a 3-0 lead, but it wasn’t for long. The Flames went on a five-point run and held onto their lead for the rest of the game. Liberty won the second set 25-14.
The third and final set was competitive, as the Racers were down 19-12. The Racers began to generate momentum on a four-point run to narrow the lead, but the Flames were ultimately able to pull it off, winning the third and final set 25-20.
Nuccio led the team in kills with 10. DeMier stayed busy, as she recorded three kills and two aces, while also leading the Racers in assists with 19.
Overall, Nuccio ended the weekend with a total of 40 kills. Metzger led the Racers in blocks over the weekend, as she ended up with nine in total.
DeMier led her team in assists by a wide margin over the three-game period with 93. DeMier also finished the weekend with 39 digs, five blocks and three aces.
Murray State falls 2-3 on the season and will travel to Huntington, West Virginia, to compete in the Marshall Invite. The Racers’ first game will be against Charleston Southern University at 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 9.