Blue Raiders Earn First CUSA Win of Season vs. FIU

Friday, October 4

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

6 PM

Middle Tennessee

5-10,1-2CUSA

FIU

2-14,0-3CUSA

FIU

Middle Tenn.

10/4/2024 9:27:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

MTSU pull off massive win to take down FIU

By: Jake Freelund, MTSU Athletic Communications

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee volleyball defeated FIU for their first conference win of the season, winning three sets to one. The Blue Raiders and the Panthers were tied up 1-1 after two sets and MTSU trailed 24-25 at the end of set three, but a block by defensive specialist Ally Magre gave the team the momentum they needed to win the set and later the match. The scores of the sets were as follows: 25-23, 17-25, 27-25 and 25-18.

The Blue Raiders (5-10, 1-2) came into the night needing a conference victory and did just that. MTSU hit an outstanding .440 in the fourth set, to FIU's (2-14, 0-3) .138, to finish off the match. The Blue Raiders finished the match with a .261 hitting percentage, reaching the .250 mark that they have achieved in all five of their victories this season. Tonight marked the first victory of the season where the Blue Raiders had less service aces than the opposition. Middle Tennessee volleyball is now 4-1 when having more blocks than their opponent.

The Blue Raiders stuffed the stat sheet tonight with three student-athletes finishing with double-digit kills, and three more in the digs department. The three who finished with double-digit kills were Kiera Booth, Adriana Rhoda and Aowyn Schrader, with Rhoda leading the pack with 17, including five in the final set. The three Blue Raiders who recorded double-digit digs were Alivia Bronner, Laure Jansen and Andi Spies, with Allyson Eckel right there with them with nine of her own. It was a block party at the AMG this evening, with the Blue Raiders recording 10 blocks as a team, with Kiera Booth leading the way with five. However, none were more important than defensive specialist Ally Magre's at the end of set three, where the Panthers had set point, but the Blue Raiders stayed alive.

When asked about her performance tonight, freshman Ally Magre said the following, "The team ran out of substitutions and I had to play in the front row. I kept my composure and got my first career block as a DS which helped the team win the third set, giving us the momentum we needed heading into the fourth set."

By the Numbers

25: Senior Laure Jansen recorded her 25th ace of the season giving her the lead in Conference USA.
271: In addition to aces, Jansen also leads CUSA in digs with 271.
43: Setter Andi Spies recorded 43 assists, making it the eighth time she has reached the 40-assist mark in her freshman season.

Up Next
The Blue Raiders will look to continue the winning streak back at the AMG tomorrow, Oct. 5, for the second match of the two-match series vs. FIU. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats can be found at Stat Broadcast.

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).