TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State begins Missouri Valley Conference play with a four-match road trip, starting with matches on Friday at Belmont and Saturday at Murray State.
Friday's match starts at 7 p.m., with first serve in Saturday's match set for 6 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
Kira Holland led Indiana State with 11 kills and 15 digs, but the host Sycamores were defeated by IUPUI in four sets (25-17, 23-25, 25-18, 26-24) in front of an overflow crowd at ISU Arena.
Ella Scott and
Kaitlyn Hamilton added nine kills each for the Sycamores, while
Hannah Baudin notched a double-double with 34 assists and 11 digs.
Macy Lengacher also had double-digit digs in the match, finishing with 14.
The announced crowd of 651 was the largest to attend a match at ISU Arena in its current configuration.
Meeting In The Middle
Indiana State freshman middle blocker
Ella Scott continues to post efficient stat lines for the Sycamores from an attacking standpoint, notching a hitting percentage of .500 or above in three matches this season.
Scott had an error-free performance in last week's match against IUPUI, finishing with nine kills on 18 attempts to go along with three service aces. She leads the team in blocks (23) and aces (13) this season while currently ranking second on the team in kills (79).
Growing The Game
Indiana State's home opener against IUPUI drew a standing room only crowd at ISU Arena, with attendance going over the listed capacity of the venue.
The announced attendance of 651 in the 500-seat venue was the largest crowd to witness an Indiana State volleyball match in the facility it its current configuration.
On The Road Again
Indiana State is opening conference play on the road for the first time since the 2019 season, while the Sycamores' four-match road trip to open conference play is the longest conference-opening road trip in program history.
Prior to this season, the Sycamores have never opened MVC play with more than three consecutive road matches. In addition, the four matches during the road trip will be played in four different states (Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri).
Marked Improvement
Despite Indiana State's record being 2-8, the Sycamores' numbers during non-conference play are a significant improvement over their 2022 non-conference statistics.
Indiana State's kills per set (11.7), assists per set (11.0), hitting percentage (.184) and aces per set (1.6) are all above the 2022 team's non-conference numbers (10.0 kills per set, 9.2 assists per set, .130 hitting percentage, 0.7 aces per set), while the Sycamores' digs per set (14.8) and blocks per set (1.4), ISU's best stats from last year, are not far off the team's 2022 pace (15.3 digs per set, 1.9 blocks per set in non-conference play).
The Kids Are Alright
Freshmen
Kira Holland and
Ella Scott led the way for Indiana State in the Sycamores' home-opening match against IUPUI. Holland registered her first career double-double with 11 kills and 15 digs, while Scott had nine kills and three aces while hitting .500 for the match.
Holland leads all MVC freshmen with 2.92 kills per set this season, while Scott adds 2.08 kills per set this season as part of the Sycamores' middle blocker rotation. They are the only freshman duo in the conference that combine to average five kills per set.
Opponents At A Glance
Belmont opens the weekend at 6-8 overall following a three-set loss on the road to crosstown foe Lipscomb. The Bruins are 1-1 at home this season with a win over Tennessee State and a loss to UC San Diego. Ally Peterson and Kristen Clemons lead the Bruins with 103 kills each, while Kamryn Olson has 492 assists. Rachel McBride has a team-high 202 digs, while Clemons leads Belmont with 37 blocks.
Murray State enters the weekend at 6-3 overall. This weekend marks the first matches at home for the Racers this season. Darci Metzger leads the Racers with 154 kills, while Bailey DeMier has dished out 391 assists. Dahlia Miller has a team-high 203 digs, including 50 in a match against Chattanooga, while Elisa Dozio and Haidi Miliou have 14 blocks each.
Series History
Belmont has a 2-1 lead in the all-time series with Indiana State after winning both matches between the teams last year. The teams have split the two previous meetings in Nashville, with Belmont winning in three sets last season and Indiana State winning in four sets in 2021.
Murray State has won all four previous meetings in the all-time series. Saturday's match will be just the second all-time meeting in Murray between the Sycamores and Racers, with Murray State winning the previous meeting on its home court in four sets.
Up Next
Indiana State's four-match conference-opening road trip concludes with matches at Missouri State (Sept. 29) and Southern Illinois (Sept. 30).
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For the latest information on the Sycamore Volleyball team, make sure to check out
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