Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Friday, November 8
Kennesaw, Ga.
6 PM
Middle Tennessee
at
Kennesaw State
MTSU set to take on Kennesaw State
11/7/2024 12:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Blue Raiders look to get back in the win column
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee volleyball (11-15, 7-7) heads to Kennesaw, Ga., for a two-match series against Kennesaw State on Nov. 8 and 9. The Blue Raiders are coming off a tough trip to UTEP, where they went 0-2 but showed signifigant potential against a strong UTEP squad. The second match featured a back-and-forth battle, with the Miners winning 3-1; the final two sets came down to just two points each. Fans can watch the upcoming matches on ESPN+ and live stats can be found at StatBroadcast.com.
Senior Laure Jansen, who has played libero for much of the season, switched to outside hitter after the first set at UTEP and excelled in her new role. Jansen tallied 17 kills and 14 digs in the second match of the series, marking her fourth double-double of the season. Jansen ranks second in CUSA in digs/set with 4.38 and third in total digs with 429, placing her 32nd in the nation. The Valburg, Netherlands native has also found success serving this season with 36 aces, good for third in CUSA. Alivia Bronner, who filled in at libero, posted a career-high 17 digs in the second match at UTEP.
Freshman setter Andi Spies had an outstanding series two weeks ago against LA Tech, earning Conference USA Setter of the Week honors. Spies recorded 95 assists, averaging 11.88 assists/set, and added 23 digs, nine kills, four aces, and three blocks over 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 9.35 and third in total assists with 916, placing her 20th in the nation. The freshman has also been strong at the service line, recording 36 aces, which ranks third 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 ranks second in total kills and kills/set with 379 and 3.87, 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 Kennesaw State
This series marks the first meeting between Middle Tennessee and Kennesaw State in their programs' histories. The Owls hold a 12-13 overall record and a 9-5 mark in conference play this season.
Kennesaw State is led by head coach Keith Schunzel, who is in his 12th season at the helm. Under his leadership, the Owls have gone from below 200 in the RPI rankings in his first season to claiming the first two ASUN Tournament championship titles in school history.
Last week, Kennesaw State saw a trio of student-athletes earn weekly honors. Manu Johnson earned Offensive Player of the Week, while Kourtney Brown and Kaeley Walz were named the Co-Setters of the Week.
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).
Senior Laure Jansen, who has played libero for much of the season, switched to outside hitter after the first set at UTEP and excelled in her new role. Jansen tallied 17 kills and 14 digs in the second match of the series, marking her fourth double-double of the season. Jansen ranks second in CUSA in digs/set with 4.38 and third in total digs with 429, placing her 32nd in the nation. The Valburg, Netherlands native has also found success serving this season with 36 aces, good for third in CUSA. Alivia Bronner, who filled in at libero, posted a career-high 17 digs in the second match at UTEP.
Freshman setter Andi Spies had an outstanding series two weeks ago against LA Tech, earning Conference USA Setter of the Week honors. Spies recorded 95 assists, averaging 11.88 assists/set, and added 23 digs, nine kills, four aces, and three blocks over 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 9.35 and third in total assists with 916, placing her 20th in the nation. The freshman has also been strong at the service line, recording 36 aces, which ranks third 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 ranks second in total kills and kills/set with 379 and 3.87, 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 Kennesaw State
This series marks the first meeting between Middle Tennessee and Kennesaw State in their programs' histories. The Owls hold a 12-13 overall record and a 9-5 mark in conference play this season.
Kennesaw State is led by head coach Keith Schunzel, who is in his 12th season at the helm. Under his leadership, the Owls have gone from below 200 in the RPI rankings in his first season to claiming the first two ASUN Tournament championship titles in school history.
Last week, Kennesaw State saw a trio of student-athletes earn weekly honors. Manu Johnson earned Offensive Player of the Week, while Kourtney Brown and Kaeley Walz were named the Co-Setters of the Week.
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.
- On Oct. 25 vs. LA Tech, Adriana Rhoda recording her 1,000th career kill, making her the 15th member of the 1,000 kills club in MTSU volleyball history.
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).
Players Mentioned
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