Blue Raiders Host Jax State Oct. 12 & 13

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee volleyball (6-12, 2-4) will be continuing Conference USA play, hosting Jacksonville State on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 12 and 13. MTSU is coming off of a trip to Western Kentucky where the Blue Raiders stole a set from the Hilltoppers, the first they have lost since Sept. 14 and the first they lost in conference play. The two matches vs. Jax. State will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats can be found at Stat Broadcast.

The previous week, Freshman setter Andi Spies took home CUSA Freshman of the Week honors for the third time this season for her efforts vs. FIU. The Fort Atkinson, Wis. native recorded 79 assists across seven sets, good for 11.29 assists/set. She also added nine kills and four service aces to her offensive output. Defensively, Spies tallied 16 digs and six blocks. Amongst Conference USA, Spies second in assists/set with 9.19. Nationally, Spies ranks 18th in the nation in total assists with 634.

Two weeks ago, senior Laure Jansen took home CUSA Defensive Player of the Week honors after setting an all-time program record of 39 digs and 9.75 digs/set in a single match at Sam Houston on Sept. 26. On the week, Jansen recorded 74 digs, good for 7.40 digs/set. In addition to the CUSA award, the Valburg, Netherlands native took home the Sports Writers Association Player of the Week. Jansen leads Conference USA in digs with 315 and is fourth in service aces with 26.

Scouting Jax State
The Blue Raiders and Gamecocks have faced off four times in their program's histories, with each squad taking two of those matches. MTSU took the last two matches, taking place last season, both by a score of 3-0. This season, the Gamecocks have a 7-12 record and are looking for their first CUSA win.

Jax. State is led by head coach Derek Schroeder who is in his second year at the helm. In his first season with the Gamecocks, Schroeder led the squad to a 5-22 record, going 3-13 in CUSA play. In his previous stints, Schroeder had success at Samford and Mercer winning five conference titles.

The Gamecocks are led by Kayla Williams who leads Conference USA in total kills with 270. Jax. State is also led by setter Ellie Garrett who ranks second in CUSA with 664 assists. Defensively, Brooklyn Schiffli is second in CUSA in digs with 304, only behind Laure Jansen.

Quick Facts

Freshman Andi Spies recorded the first triple-double in program history, during the 25-point era, earning her CUSA Freshman of the Week (Sept. 9). Spies two more CUSA Freshman of the Week's (Sept. 16, Oct. 7) making her the second student-athlete to win multiple in the same season (Adriana Rhoda).
Senior Laure Jansen took home CUSA Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 30) after her record-setting performance at Sam Houston on Sept. 26 where she set an all-time program-record with 39 digs in a single match.
On Sept. 17 vs. UVA, Laure Jansen reached historic the historic milestones of 100 career service aces and 1000 career digs, doing so on the same night.
On Sept. 27 at Sam Houston, Adriana Rhoda set a new program record, during the 25-point era, for kills/set in a single match with 7.33.
Freshman Emma Nilson recorded the highest single-game blocks/set ratio for a freshman in program history during the 25-point era vs. Arkansas State, recording 3.0 blocks/set.

Keeping Up with the Blue Raiders
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Players Mentioned

Laure Jansen

Emma Nilson

Adriana Rhoda

Andi Spies

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics