Conference season underway for OVC volleyball

Adam Tumino, Volleyball Reporter

It is officially conference season for the volleyball teams of the OVC.

Two conference matches are already in the books as Southeast Missouri beat Tennessee-Martin Sept. 24 and Jacksonville State defeated Tennessee Tech Sept. 25.

Eastern opens its conference schedule at home against Murray State Friday at 6 p.m. and Austin Peay Saturday at noon.

Austin Peay struggled in non-conference play, going 2-12 after going a combined 57-11 in the previous two seasons. The Governors had the best record in the conference last season before falling to none other than the Murray State Racers in the OVC Championship.

The Racers enter conference play with their record at .500 after being picked to win the OVC in a preseason coaches poll.

Sure to challenge Eastern’s defense Friday evening is Murray State’s, and perhaps the entire conference’s, most dynamic player, Rachel Giustino.

The senior leads the OVC in both kills and points, averaging .44 kills and .46 points more than the respective second-place finisher, Morehead State’s Olivia Lohmeier.

Giustino has been named OVC Offensive Player of the Week twice already in just the first month of the season. She recorded the first 30-20 game in school history against Bradley on Sept. 14, recording 31 kills and 22 digs.

Giustino was also named to the All-OVC First Team each of the last two seasons. Her teammate, libero Becca Fernandez, joined her on the first team last season and was the 2018 OVC Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

Fernandez led the conference in total digs a season ago and ranks second so far this season in digs per set. The Racers’ setter, Ashley McBee, is one of just three players in the OVC averaging more than 10 assists per set. 

Austin Peay, despite its sluggish start, will likely be a difficult opponent when it comes to Charleston Saturday. Outside hitter Brooke Moore and libero Ginny Gerig were named to the Preseason All-OVC team this year.

Moore is sixth in the conference in both kills and points this season and Gerig ranks sixth in digs per set.

Eastern’s highest-ranking player this year is libero Madison Cunningham, who currently is third in the OVC averaging 4.49 digs per set. She was named the OVC Defensive Player of the Week for the last week of non-conference play.

Maggie Runge’s .303 hitting percentage is the fourth-best in the conference, and Bailey Chandler’s 8.33 assists per set ranks sixth.

 

Adam Tumino can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].