Volleyball Ready for Purdue Active Ankle Challenge

JAIME GORDON INTERVIEW

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State volleyball team continues non-conference action this weekend at the Purdue Active Ankle Challenge in West Lafayette, Ind.  The Eagles (0-10) face Notre Dame (1-7) on Friday at Noon ET, No. 11 Purdue (8-1) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saint Louis (8-3) on Saturday at 5 p.m.


Ways to follow the matches:

vs. Notre Dame -- Friday at 12 p.m. -- LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
at No. 11 Purdue -- Friday at 7:30 p.m. -- LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | TWITTER
vs. Saint Louis -- Saturday at 5 p.m. -- LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | TWITTER

Morehead State Athletic Media Relations Director Matt Segal will call the play-by-play of all three weekend matches on MSUEagles.com.  Live video for the Eagles and Purdue will be provided by the Big Ten Network and is available on a subscription basis.


Releases and pre-tournament information:

MOREHEAD STATE | NOTRE DAME | PURDUE | SAINT LOUIS | OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE


Ten notes heading into the tournament:

THE LAST TIME OUT
Morehead State suffered a three-set loss on Tuesday at Marshall.  The Eagles were also swept by Northern Illinois, Louisville and No. 15 Arizona State last weekend in the Comfort Inn and Suites Invitational at Wetherby Gym.

UNCHARTED TERRITORY
Morehead State, the four-time defending Ohio Valley Conference champion, is off to its first 0-10 start in school history.  The Eagles started their varsity volleyball program in 1972, and the conference began sponsoring the sport in 1981.

HAVE WE BEEN HERE BEFORE?
Morehead State's last, and only, match at Purdue was in the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 2, 2011.  The Boilermakers posted a 3-0 opening-round victory that evening.

FAMILY CONNECTIONS
Morehead State sophomore Bailey Nichol and Purdue senior Val Nichol are sisters.  Friday's contest will be the first time the siblings from Normal, Ill., have squared off at the collegiate level.

I'M THE TOP BIRD
Junior middle blocker Hannah Sigala leads Morehead State with 3.04 points, 2.38 kills and 0.74 blocks per set.  She is also hitting a team best .250 in 34 sets played.

LEADING THE WAY
Jaime Gordon is in his 12th year as Morehead State's head coach.  He is 228-141 (.618) at MSU and 308-168 (.647) in 14 years leading a collegiate program.  Gordon has piloted the Eagles to seven regular-season conference titles, two league tournament crowns and both of the school's NCAA Tournament berths.

THE ASSISTANTS
Ed Tolentino (associate head coach), Kyrsten Becker (assistant coach) and Marcie West (volunteer assistant) return to Morehead State's staff in 2014, while Daniel Becker (director of operations) joins the group after two years as MSU's video coordinator.

DOING IT IN THE LEAGUE
Morehead State would tie an Ohio Valley Conference all-time record if it wins the 2014 regular-season crown.  Southeast Missouri is the only school in league history to win five straight.

DOMINATING THE CIRCUIT
Morehead State is 67-3 in Ohio Valley Conference regular-season matches over the last four years.  The 96 percent success rate leads all Division I programs in conference winning percentage.

BEST IN THE NATION
Morehead State won 36 consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season matches from 2011 through 2013.  The nation's longest streak was just one shy of the all-time league standard.