Volleyball hitting the road for Alabama

Friday, October 8

Troy, Ala.

7:00 PM

Middle Tennessee

Troy

Photo by: Athletic Communications

10/7/2010 4:19:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

By: Athletic Communications

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - After an impressive sweep of Western Kentucky on Wednesday, the Middle Tennessee volleyball team faces a quick turnaround and will travel to Troy on Friday and South Alabama on Sunday. "This trip concerns me a little bit. I hope we don't have an emotional let down after a big, emotional match last night," head coach Matt Peck said. "Both South and Troy have won some matches this year, so we need to make sure our team is very focused going down there. I have confidence in our team and hope we can come away with a couple road wins this weekend." The Blue Raiders (15-4, 6-0 SBC) are entering the weekend having won their last 12 matches, tied for the second-longest winning streak in program history. Middle Tennessee boasts of an unblemished 6-0 record in conference play. Since 2006, MT holds a combined 16-0 mark against divisional opponents Troy and South Alabama. Middle Tennessee is led by reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week Izabela Kozon. The senior has posted the team-high in kills in all but three matches this season, and holds the team lead in the category with 300, averaging 4.29 per set. Kozon has also been exceptional defensively, reaching double digits in digs on eight different occasions. She is second on the team in the category with 156. In last weekend's match against FIU, Kozon surpassed the 1,000 dig mark to become just the fourth player in school history with at least 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. While Kozon has been the focal point of the Middle Tennessee offense, she's had a lot of help as four other Blue Raiders have posted at least 100 kills this season, led by Ashley Adams' 159. Maria Szivos and Stacy Oladinni are third and fourth on the team, respectively, with 142 and 137. Lindsay Cheatham has notched 108. Freshmen Morgan Peterson and Angela Peyton have split duties at setter. Peterson, who sat out with a redshirt last year, has the team lead in assists with 437, and Peyton has tallied 383. Defensively, Brynne Henderson has anchored the defense with 251 digs. Kendall Howard has also been a vital cog in the reception game, posting 126 digs. At the net, Oladinni has been a force to be reckoned with, averaging 1.17 blocks per set. The junior, who earned All-American honors last season, holds the team lead in the category with 82. Cheatham is second on the team with 69, including 13 of the solo variety. Troy is entering the match in a tie for fourth in the division with a 2-2 Sun Belt record. The Trojans improved to 10-11 overall on Wednesday night, knocking off in-state foe Alabama A&M in four sets. The last Troy victory over Middle Tennessee came in the 1994 season. South Alabama is alone in third place in the conference with a 3-1 mark. The Jaguars posted a pair of five-set victories last weekend against UALR and Arkansas State to improve their overall record to 8-11. The Blue Raiders have never lost to the Jaguars. The Blue Raiders will face Troy on Friday night at 7 p.m. before taking on South Alabama at noon.