MTSU to host No. 23 WKU on Thursday and Friday to close out Regular Season

Thursday, November 9

Murfreesboro, TN

5 PM

Middle Tennessee

#23 WKU

11/8/2023 5:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

By: Andrew Glover, MTSU Athletics Communications

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Middle Tennessee volleyball team will welcome No. 23 Western Kentucky to Alumni Memorial Gym on Thursday, November 9 and Friday, November 10. The match on Thursday will be at 5 p.m. CT. On Friday, the Blue Raiders will honor their seniors with Senior Day and the match will start at 12 p.m. CT. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and have live stats to follow along.

The Blue Raiders are back at home after being on the road to Jacksonville State last weekend. MTSU swept JSU in both matches. For the second straight week, Taylor Eisert and Adri Rhoda were named CUSA Setter and Offensive Player of the Week. This is Eisert's sixth Setter of the Week as Rhoda earned her third Offensive Player of the Week.

The Blue Raiders are first in conference in hitting percentage with a .312 hitting percentage, assists per set earning 12.7 per set, kills per set 13.8. MTSU is second in CUSA in points per set with 17.6.

Eisert has totaled 1074 assists this season and is first in conference in assists per set earning 11.3 per set. Redshirt senior Kayla Henley leads the team in kills with 297 earning 3.1 per set. Junior Laure Jansen has been outstanding on both sides of the ball this season tallying 237 kills and 232 digs. Rhoda reached the 100-career mark in service aces in the last match. Rhoda is third in CUSA in kills per set averaging 3.4 per set. Graduate student Kaylee Oscarson has recorded 88 total blocks averaging 1.0 block per set. Oscarson is second in conference is hitting percentage hitting at a .416 clip.

Scouting Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Western Kentucky is 24-4, 14-0 CUSA so far this season. The Hilltoppers are on a 19-match winning streak. In the last match, WKU swept FIU. The Hilltoppers return 11 from last season and added two freshmen. WKU leads conference in points per set and service aces per set.

On offense, fifth year Paige Briggs has totaled 349 kills earning 3.84 per set, which is good for first in CUSA. Briggs also leads the conference in points per set earning 4.7. Redshirt sophomore Callie Bauer has recorded 997 assists averaging 10.5 per set.

On defense, sophomore Abby Schaefer has 306 digs tallying 3.4 per set. Redshirt freshman Logan Grevengoed has tallied 99 blocks earning 1.1 per set.

This will be the 69th and 70th meeting between the two programs. WKU leads the series 52-16. The Blue Raiders last win against WKU was in 2011.

Blue Raider Notes

The Blue Raiders are first in conference in hitting percentage with a .312 hitting percentage, assists per set earning 12.7 per set, kills per set 13.8. MTSU is second in CUSA in points per set with 17.6.
Oscarson is second in conference in hitting percentage with a .416 hitting clip.
Rhoda is third in CUSA in kills per set. She is the reigning CUSA Offensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row. This was her third time earning this award this season.
Rhoda eclipsed the 100-career mark in service aces last time out. She is up to 102 career service aces. The program record in the 25-point era is 116 held by Marley Banton.
Eisert broke the program record for career assists in the current 25-point era. The Louisville, Ky. native is the fourth Blue Raider all-time to reach 3,000 career assists. This season, she is a six-time CUSA Setter of the Week. Eisert was tabbed Tennessee Sports Writers Association Volleyball Player of the Week on 9/12. She leads conference in assists per set with 11.3.

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