Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Thursday, October 31
El Paso, Texas
7 PM
Middle Tennessee
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UTEP
Blue Raiders Travel to UTEP for Two-Match Series
10/30/2024 11:11:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
MTSU looks to build on winning ways
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee volleyball (11-13, 7-5) heads to El Paso, Texas, for a two-match series against UTEP on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. The Blue Raiders are riding high after a series sweep vs. LA Tech which extended their home winning streak to seven matches. MTSU has won five of its last six games, finding its stride at the right time. The upcoming matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats can be found at StatBroadcast.com.
Freshman setter Andi Spies had an outstanding series vs. LA Tech earning Conference USA Setter of the Week honors. Spies recorded 95 assists, averaging 11.88 assists/set. She also contributed 23 digs, nine kills, four aces, and three blocks across the two matches. In the first match, the Fort Atkinson, Wis., native recorded 55 assists: the highest single-match total for a CUSA student-athlete this season. The setter followed up with 40 assists and 16 digs in the second match, marking her 11th double-double of the season. Spies ranks second in assists/set in Conference USA with 9.44 and third in total assists with 859, placing her 14th in the nation. The freshman has also been strong at the service line, recording 36 aces, which ranks second in CUSA.
Junior Adriana Rhoda is coming off a historic week where she recorded her 1,000th career kill, becoming just the 15th Blue Raider to join the exclusive 1,000 kills club. Rhoda achieved this impressive feat in her 81st match, averaging an impressive 12.49 kills per match. The Hutchinson, Minn. native leads the conference in kills/set and ranks second in total kills with 3.93 and 358, respectively. On Sept. 27 at Sam Houston, Rhoda set a new program record, during the 25-point era, for kills/set in a single match with 7.33. Rhoda is also closing in on the program record for service aces, during the 25-point era, of 116. The outside hitter is currently at 112, needing five more to break the record.
Scouting UTEP
This two-match series marks the 13th and 14th meetings between Middle Tennessee and UTEP in their program's histories. The Blue Raiders hold a 2-10 record vs the Miners, though they won both matchups last season. UTEP boasts an impressive 20-4 overall record and a 10-2 mark in conference play this season.
UTEP is led by head coach Ben Willis, who took over the program in December 2018 and holds an 89-43 (.674) overall record in his first five seasons.
The Miners offense is spearheaded by Ema Uskokovic, who has a team-high 247 kills. UTEP runs a two-setter system that features Kalia Kohler and Mattie Gantt, who each have over 400 assists and have earned CUSA Co-Setters of the Week honors three times this season. Defensively, the Miners are led by Kaya Weaver who leads CUSA in blocks/set with 1.46 and has won CUSA Defensive Player of the Week twice this season.
Quick Facts
Keeping Up with the Blue Raiders
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter/X (@MT_Volleyball), Instagram (@mt_volleyball), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Volleyball).
Freshman setter Andi Spies had an outstanding series vs. LA Tech earning Conference USA Setter of the Week honors. Spies recorded 95 assists, averaging 11.88 assists/set. She also contributed 23 digs, nine kills, four aces, and three blocks across the two matches. In the first match, the Fort Atkinson, Wis., native recorded 55 assists: the highest single-match total for a CUSA student-athlete this season. The setter followed up with 40 assists and 16 digs in the second match, marking her 11th double-double of the season. Spies ranks second in assists/set in Conference USA with 9.44 and third in total assists with 859, placing her 14th in the nation. The freshman has also been strong at the service line, recording 36 aces, which ranks second in CUSA.
Junior Adriana Rhoda is coming off a historic week where she recorded her 1,000th career kill, becoming just the 15th Blue Raider to join the exclusive 1,000 kills club. Rhoda achieved this impressive feat in her 81st match, averaging an impressive 12.49 kills per match. The Hutchinson, Minn. native leads the conference in kills/set and ranks second in total kills with 3.93 and 358, respectively. On Sept. 27 at Sam Houston, Rhoda set a new program record, during the 25-point era, for kills/set in a single match with 7.33. Rhoda is also closing in on the program record for service aces, during the 25-point era, of 116. The outside hitter is currently at 112, needing five more to break the record.
Scouting UTEP
This two-match series marks the 13th and 14th meetings between Middle Tennessee and UTEP in their program's histories. The Blue Raiders hold a 2-10 record vs the Miners, though they won both matchups last season. UTEP boasts an impressive 20-4 overall record and a 10-2 mark in conference play this season.
UTEP is led by head coach Ben Willis, who took over the program in December 2018 and holds an 89-43 (.674) overall record in his first five seasons.
The Miners offense is spearheaded by Ema Uskokovic, who has a team-high 247 kills. UTEP runs a two-setter system that features Kalia Kohler and Mattie Gantt, who each have over 400 assists and have earned CUSA Co-Setters of the Week honors three times this season. Defensively, the Miners are led by Kaya Weaver who leads CUSA in blocks/set with 1.46 and has won CUSA Defensive Player of the Week twice this season.
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 received 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).
- Spies took him CUSA Setter of the Week, this past week, making her the second Blue Raider to win the award as a freshman, last happening in 2015.
- 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 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
Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter/X (@MT_Volleyball), Instagram (@mt_volleyball), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Volleyball).
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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