NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont Volleyball continues its longest road stretch of the season this weekend. The Bruins (11-11, 6-4 OVC) travel to Eastern Kentucky (9-15, 7-3 OVC) on Friday evening before traveling to Morehead State (11-12 2-8 OVC) for a matchup on Saturday afternoon.
The Colonels enter this weekend's contests on a two-match win streak in OVC play to stand at 7-3 in the league and 9-15 overall. Eastern Kentucky is led in kills by Celina Sanks, who has a total of 279, while hitting at a .203 clip. Chloe Rojas leads the team's defensive effort with a total of 400 digs while Rachel Woody leads in assists with a total of 454.
Belmont holds the lead in the all-time series, 10-7, winning four out of the last five matchups, including a 3-2 win in Nashville back on September 23.
Morehead State stands at 2-8 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 11-12 overall after falling in six of its last seven contests. The Eagles are led in kills by Lauren Rokey, who has a total of 236. Olivia Lohmeier is the most accurate hitter on the team, firing at a .311 clip. Danielle McCarson leads in digs with a total of 288 while Chandler Clark leads the team in assists with a total of 474.
The Bruins own a slim, 7-6 all-time series advantage over MSU. Belmont has won six of the last seven meetings between the programs, including a 3-0 shutout in Nashville back on September 22.
BU stands at 11-11 overall and 6-4 in OVC play, after a tough week where it fell in a pair of matches to open its longest road stretch of the season.
Senior Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) leads the team in kills with a total of 299 after moving up to second all-time in kills after her performances last week. Freshman Akia Warrior (Fort Worth, Texas) leads the team in assists (328) while senior Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.) returned with a vengeance to the BU lineup and now has a total of 278. Senior Ellie Ivancich (Naperville, Ill.) heads up the defensive effort, logging 259 digs. Ivancich is followed by Person and senior Emily Richards (Penfield, N.Y.), who have contributed 212 and 166 digs, respectively.
Junior Alexa Nichols (Walton, Ky.) has tallied six solo blocks and leads in block assists with a total of 60 while freshman Mackenzie LePage (Franklin, Tenn.) has posted 56 block assists. Graduate student Jessica Vestal (Concord, Calif.) leads the team in service aces with a total of 22, followed by Ivancich and classmate Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.), who have tallied 21 and 20, respectively.
Friday evening's match is set for 5 p.m. while Saturday's contest is set for a 1 p.m. start. Live stats will be available for both matches but only the match at Morehead State can be seen live on the OVC Digital Network. Fans may also follow the team's Twitter account (@BelmontVB) for live, in-game updates.
