Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Denver
Blue Raiders on the Road in the Sun Belt
9/28/2006 3:49:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee volleyball (11-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) begins its toughest Sun Belt Conference road swing of the season, traveling to Denver and North Texas this weekend. Adding to that is the possibility for Head Coach Matt Peck to get a milestone in his coaching career - 600 wins.
"Winning my 600th game is not something I am going to focus on," Peck said. "I am focused on the here and now and if I happened to get my 600th win, then it means we did it over a good team."
The Blue Raiders open Sun Belt Conference road play at Denver, Colo., on Friday to face the Denver Pioneers. The club is currently riding a two-game winning streak over Denver with a 3-1 regular season win and then a 3-0 shutout over the Pioneers in the second round of the Sun Belt Tournament in 2005.
Sunday, Middle Tennessee travels to Denton, Texas, to take on the Mean Green. The Blue Raiders have won the last two meetings.
Middle Tennessee boasts a strong lineup and a deep bench and the Blue Raiders look for both to aid them in the opening Sun Belt road matches. The Blue Raiders have proven this season that they play well on the road, with their only two losses on the road coming at the hands of No. 1-ranked Nebraska and perennial power Long Beach State.
"In the past two years I have been here, we notoriously play better on the road," Peck said. "We had some less then stellar performances at home last weekend, though we did pick up the wins, but we have had a good week of practice and I think we'll do well."
The Blue Raiders are led by sophomore standout Ashley Adams, who has already been named Sun Belt Player of the Week twice this season. The outside hitter is averaging 3.52 kills per game and has recorded 204 kills in 15 matches.
Defensively, Middle Tennessee is getting a lift from sophomore Ashley Asberry, who is averaging 1.40 blocks per game, which is leading the Sun Belt Conference. In last weekend's matches, the Murfreesboro, Tenn., native averaged 2.0 blocks per game in wins over South Alabama and Troy.
Middle Tennessee is currently riding a five-game winning streak, the longest of the season.
