MTSU to Kickoff Blue Raider Invitational on Friday

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee volleyball team is set to have their home opener this weekend as the Blue Raider Invitational is in town. The Blue Raiders will face Grambling State at 11:00 a.m. and Belmont at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, and then look to battle UT Martin at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Blue Raiders will host three other matches this weekend and all info can be found at the tournament home page here.

Last week, the Blue Raiders went two and one at the Miami (OH) Invitational. Senior Kayla Henley and junior Taylor Eisert proved they could be counted on, taking home All-Tournament honors for their performances. Wednesday night, MTSU went to Richmond, Ky. and downed the EKU Colonels in four sets to put them on a two-win streak before entering this weekend's competition.

Scouting the Grambling State Tigers | Watch | Live Stats
The Grambling Tigers (2-4, 0-0 SWAC) don't have the greatest record, but they have proved they should not be taken lightly. Last year the Tigers went 11-17, getting swept three times by two teams (Alabama State and North Texas) that the Blue Raiders had swept themselves. The team went through some turmoil in the offseason with all of their players and coaches leaving in the offseason.

On offense, the back-to-back SWAC Offensive Player of the Week, sophomore Jayden James. James has almost double the attempts her next teammate at 257 and is hitting at a .202 attack percentage. The sophomore is also averaging 2.73 digs per set and is tied for a team-high seven service aces.

Redshirt senior Haley Gomez leads the Tigers on the other side with a 0.88 block per set average. Gomez is third on the team with a .180 hitting percentage and has racked up seven service aces to tie James for the lead.

This will be the first time the Blue Raiders and Tigers have met in volleyball.

Scouting the Belmont Bruins | Watch | Live Stats
It's been a rough start for the Bruins (1-6, 0-0 MVC) who are transitioning into a new era with the Missouri Valley Conference. Last season Belmont went 9-20 overall and went 2-15 on the road. The Bruins added seven new players in the offseason, six freshmen and one transfer, to bolster head coach Katelyn Harrison's team in 2022.

On offense, junior Laura Shoopman was selected to the All-Tournament team after collecting 41 kills and 26 digs at the Cougar Challenge last weekend. Shoopman leads the team with 98 kills on a 3.50 kill per set average, and is fifth on the team for hitting percentage at .192. Former Sacred Heart teammate of Taylor Eisert's, Kristen Clemons, leads the Bruin's starters with a .341 hitting percentage from the middle. As a team the Bruins are hitting .164 and average 1.57 service aces a set.

Clemons leads the Bruin block with an average of one block a set. As a team, Belmont averages 1.86 blocks per set but allow an average of 2.55 blocks per set.

This will be the 10th meeting between MTSU and Belmont. The Blue Raiders lead the all-time series 6-2, losing their last matchup in 2017.

Scouting the UT Martin Skyhawks | Watch | Live Stats
The Skyhawks (4-3, 0-0 OVC) have been playing at home since August, but are looking to be on the road again after dropping their last match to Arkansas State. Last season the Skyhawks got the best of nine-woman roster the Blue Raiders had to deploy due to sickness and injuries, beating them 3-0 in Martin. The Skyhawks finished the 2021 season 15-17.

For the first time in the history of UT Martin volleyball, the Skyhawks dialed up three Ohio Valley Conference weekly honors as Karen Scanlon (Offensive), Dylan Mott (Defensive) and Angel Baylark (Newcomer) were recognized on Monday. The Skyhawks are the only other team besides the Blue Raiders to beat EKU this season, making this a matchup worth watching on Saturday.

Looking through the numbers, the Skyhawks are out-hitting, out-digging, out-blocking, and out-serving their opponents through seven matches. Libero Dylan Mott is having a fantastic season so far, digging up 4.81 balls per set, 3.61 digs per set ahead of her next teammate. Sophomore Angel Baylark leads the block with a whopping 1.40 blocks per set, Baylark is fourth on the offensive side with a .241 hitting percentage.

This will be the 32nd meeting between the two teams. UT Martin leads the series 20-11 and are on a one-game win streak against the Blue Raiders.

Quick Facts

The conference office announced freshman Adri Rhoda as C-USA Freshman of the Week and junior Taylor Eisert as C-USA Setter of the Week for their performances at the Miami Invitational this past weekend.
Rhoda reached new heights in her second weekend as a Blue Raider, hitting .400 (30-6-60) through three matches. The breakout match of the weekend came in a sweep over the host team, Miami (OH), where she hit .800 (12-0-15). Rhoda's .800 attack percentage in the sweep is the highest in conference this season and the second highest in the nation for 15-19 attempts in a match. The career-best percentage tied the second-highest attack percentage in program single-match history.
Eisert, a Miami Invitational All-Tournament Team member, showed her offensive versatility this past weekend as she went 14-0-29 on the attack for a .483 attack percentage. The Louisville native racked up 125 assists in 12 sets for an average of 10.25 assists per set. As the primary setter, Eisert helped push MTSU to the third highest single-match hitting percentage in the nation this season and the second-highest single match team percentage in program history at .532.
Senior Kayla Henley has continued to be a consistent presence for the Blue Raiders, earning her second All-Tournament honor through two weekends of competition.
Senior Kaylee Oscarson continues to be a spark offensively and defensively in her first two weeks with the Blue Raiders. On the block, Oscarson leads the team with 1.00 blocks per set, totaling 23 through six matches played. On the offensive side Kaylee is hitting .292 for an average of 1.87 kills per set.
Senior Marley Banton racked up 21 digs on a 5.25 d/s average in a 3-1 win over EKU on Wednesday. She sits seven aces from 100, and 52 digs away from 1,000 in her career.
Keep Up with the Blue Raider Volleyball Team
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter (@MT_Volleyball), Instagram (@mt_volleyball), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Volleyball).

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Players Mentioned

Marley Banton

Taylor Eisert

Kayla Henley

Kaylee Oscarson

Adriana Rhoda

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics