MOREHEAD, Ky. – After completing their first weekend sweep of the season two weeks ago, the Morehead State volleyball team returns home, looking to extend their three-match winning streak at Wetherby Gym. Last weekend, the Eagles fell in both matches on the road, losing to Belmont in three sets on Friday and to Tennessee State in four on Saturday.
With four games left in the regular season, they are 6-6 in the league and tied for sixth place. The top eight make the OVC Tournament.
“November is the time when you hope you are in position for the OVC Tournament. We are there, but we have a lot of work ahead of us,” said head coach Jaime Gordon. “We have two very talented teams coming to town this weekend.”
The Eagles welcome in SIU Edwardsville on Friday night at 7 p.m. and Eastern Illinois on Saturday at 5 p.m. The Panthers are 9-3 in OVC play, while the Cougars sit at 4-8. It will be the first time that MSU has faced either team, an odd schedule twist near the end of the regular season.
“With all of the scouting that we do, we get an opportunity to watch teams on film. So while we’re not familiar with being across the net from them, we are familiar with them from a scouting perspective,” said Gordon. “They’re both very good teams, with two very different situations. EIU is fighting to be first in the league, and SIUE is in the same boat as we are, fighting to get into the tournament.”
Despite the setbacks last weekend, the Eagles are anxious to get back home where they have a three-match winning streak and an overall 6-5 record.
“There is no doubt that it helps being at home,” said Gordon. “You’ve got the crowd behind you, you have the familiarity of the facility, but that only goes so far. We’ve got to execute, we’ve got to make sure that we’re well prepared both physically and mentally, and that’s what we’ve been working hard on all this week.”
Junior Sydney Schuler was one of the bright spots last weekend, as she finished with 18 kills, while hitting .244. She also had a team-high six blocks. She ranks third on the team with 198 kills on the season.
“She’s just a consistent competitor. She works her tail off every day in practice and during every match,” said Gordon. “We kind of joke that she’s the silent assassin because she’s quiet, but she just gets her job done. And she’s been consistently improving throughout the season. We’re relying on her more and more.”
The SIUE match on Friday night can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network and live stats for both matches will be available at MSUEagles.com
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