LIVE STATS (BELMONT MATCH) | MSU ON TWITTER (OFFICIAL | VOLLEYBALL)
MSU MATCH NOTES | OVC WEEKLY NOTES
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Ohio Valley Conference volleyball regular season is nearing an end, and the Morehead State Eagles can wrap up their third consecutive league title this weekend when they visit Tennessee State (Friday, 8 p.m ET) and Belmont (Saturday, 3 p.m.).
MSU is 12-0 in conference matches and is sitting three matches ahead of second-place Southeast Missouri with a tiebreaker on the Redhawks. One more win, or a SEMO loss, seals the title for the Eagles. MSU would also earn the right to host the OVC tournament Nov. 15-17.
But the task isn't a cakewalk this weekend. Both TSU and Belmont are 8-4 in the conference and have put together winning streaks lately.
Here are notes heading into the weekend:
Talon Tidbits
MSU’s 18-match winning streak is tied for longest in the nation ... Head Coach Jaime Gordon is in his 10th season with the Eagles and has led MSU to five OVC regular season titles, one tournament championship and 195 victories.
Magic Number 1
Morehead State can wrap up at least a share of its third consecutive Ohio Valley Conference championship with just one victory, or one Southeast Missouri loss. The Eagles are three matches ahead of SEMO in the OVC standings with four to play. A victory would seal MSU’s 11 OVC title and assure the Eagles of hosting the OVC tournament for the third straight year. The tournament will be held Nov. 15-17.
Road Warriors
Not only does MSU have an overall winning streak that could reach 20 matches this weekend, but the Eagles have been equally impressive on the road in the OVC. MSU enters the weekend with 21 straight league road wins. The last OVC road loss came on Oct. 15, 2010 at Austin Peay.
An Amazing Run
In the last three seasons, Morehead State has won 48 of its last 50 OVC matches. MSU has appeared in the OVC tournament championship match three straight seasons.
Weekly Awards Adding Up
Senior right side hitter Ellie Roberson has earned three OVC Offensive Player of the Week accolades this year, while senior Caitlin Clark has been named the league’s Setter of the Week three times as well. MSU has now won nine OVC weekly honors in 2012. Senior middle blocker Annie Gruenschlaeger earned the offensive honor on Sept. 3, and junior libero Leslie Schellhaas was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 10 and Oct. 8.
League Leader
Senior right side hitter Ellie Roberson leads the OVC in kills for the second consecutive season. She has smashed 385 winners this year and ranks 27th in the nation in kills per set (4.28). Roberson ranks 10th in school history with 1,406 career kills.
We’re Streaking
Morehead State’s 18-match winning streak is tied for the longest in the nation in Division I. The Eagles are tied with No. 1 Stanford and No. 19 Western Kentucky for the nation’s best success streak.
Wetherby Gym is the Place to Be
Morehead State leads the OVC in home attendance again this season, averaging more than 500 fans per contest.
Checking Out the Competition
Tennessee State -- The Tigers have won five of their last six matches and are 15-11 overall and 8-4 in the OVC east division. Naomi Wells paces TSU’s offense with 3.73 kills per set. Erika Moss averages better than 10 assists per set. Kathy Roulhac is in her ninth campaign leading the Tigers.
Series: MSU leads 42-8 | Last Meeting: MSU 3, TSU 0 - 9/22/11 in Morehead, Ky. | Streak: MSU, nine matches
Belmont -- The Bruins are riding a four-match winning streak into the weekend and have improved to 12-14 overall and 8-4 in the league’s east division. Jen Myer leads the BU attack with 2.79 kills per set, while Hannah Miranda hands out 10.3 assists per stanza. Deane Webb, who is in his 10th season leading the Bruins, became the youngest Division I head coach to reach 300 victories when he accomplished the milestone in 2010.
Series: MSU leads 2-0 | Last Meeting: MSU 3, Belmont 0 - 9/21/12 in Morehead, Ky. | Streak: MSU, two matches
