MT Concludes Regular Season at Charlotte, rival WKU

Thursday, November 13

Charlotte, N.C.

6:00 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

Charlotte

11/12/2014 8:56:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Middle Tennessee volleyball team (9-19, 5-9 C-USA) will conclude the regular season with a pair of road matches starting on Thursday at Charlotte at 6 p.m., before traveling to Bowling Green, Ky., for a 7 p.m., match at rival Western Kentucky.

@MT_Volleyball at Charlotte | 6 p.m.
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@MT_Volleyball at WKU | 7 p.m.
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About the Blue Raiders
Last time out
The Blue Raiders completed their first sweep of the weekend, and did it in sweeping fashion in a pair of 3-0 wins over Louisiana Tech on Friday, and UAB on Sunday. MT hit .302 over the two matches, including a season-high .319 on Friday.

Three Way Race
With Charlotte defeating UTEP in five sets on Sunday, the Blue Raiders moved into sole position for the final spot in the Conference USA Championships. If MT wins Wednesday and UTEP loses to Western Kentucky, MT will have clinch the final spot.

Coming Together
Despite a 2-2 record in the past four matches, the Blue Raiders have outhit their opponents .240-.231 while grabbing the past six sets en route to their two victories, outscoring the opponents by an average score of 25-20. Six players have at least nine kills with Chelsea Ross notching 26, and sophomores Jazmyne Johnson and Miri Shade tallying 13.

Lending a helping hand
Freshman Haley Morton and senior Ailime de Freitas each have amassed over 400 assists while Morton leads the team with 471 assists and de Freitas with 424. The two setters have combined for 73 percent (895/1214) of the team's assists this season.

Conference Stats Update
Ross is ranked in three different categories while sitting in second in kills per set (4.70), points per set (5.20) and service aces per set (.26). Teammate Monét Marshall is in the top ten with a .320 hitting percentage and seventh averaging a block per set, while freshman Jacqueline Lux is the only freshman to be ranked in the top ten in digs per set at 3.81

About the Opponents
Scouting Charlotte (15-16, 4-10 C-USA)
The 49ers have won their past two conference matches after dropping their previous four contests. In their most recent outing, Charlotte defeated UTEP in five sets on the Miners' home court. Charlotte is 4-7 at home this season, but only holds a 1-5 mark at home during conference play. Four different players have over 200 kills while Irem Asci leads the way with 338, and teammate Britney Leigh Held has tallied 1,118 assists. Shelby Green has a team-high 483 digs while Savannah Gaster leads Charlotte with 105 blocks.

Scouting Western Kentucky (25-5, 13-1 C-USA)
MT's rival has had a successful first season in C-USA with a 13-1 mark with the only loss coming to currently undefeated UTSA on the road.The Hilltoppers have yet to lose on their home floor with an 11-0 record. WKU is either first or second in six of the seven statistical categories, including first in opponent's hitting percentage (.155) and digs (15.76). Heather Boyan leads the team with a .395 hitting clip, while Jessica Lucas is second at .357, and both are third and fourth in the conference, respectively. Lucas is also second in the league in assists with 567 and an average assists per set of 11.57.WKU will host UTEP before Saturday's contest.

Series History

Charlotte: MT holds a slight 2-1 edge over Charlotte in the all-time series as the Blue Raiders defeated the 49ers in five sets on their home floor last season. This is the fourth-straight year MT has played Charlotte on its home court.

WKU: The Hilltoppers are 37-15 in the series while winning the past four matches between each other. MT and WKU are meeting for the first time since playing twice in 2012, falling both matches. However, four of the past five matches on WKU's home floor have been in MT's favor.