Story Links
RICHMOND, Ky. – The volleyball team will wrap up its homestand on Thursday when Texas-Arlington visits Baptist Health Arena. The Colonels will play at North Alabama on Saturday.
The match on Thursday will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday’s contest will start at 2 p.m. Both will air live on ESPN+.
Thursday will be Youth Sports Night and Trick-or-Treat with the Colonels. When the gates open at 5 p.m., kids will receive a FREE EKU trick-or-treat bag and can collect treats from EKU student-athletes throughout the concourse of Baptist Health Arena. Kids 12 and under will receive FREE admission as part of Youth Sports Night. There will be a post-match autograph session with the volleyball team.
THE COLONELS
– EKU is 20-2 this season and has won a program record 15 straight matches. The Colonels have shutout nine straight opponents and are 10-0 in the United Athletic Conference.
– Eastern has won 20 or more matches in four straight seasons. It is the longest such streak for the program since winning 20 or more for eight straight seasons from 1980 through 1987.
– In its last five matches, the EKU defense has held its opponents to a .109 combined hitting percentage. Over that span, the Colonels are averaging 3.00 more digs and 1.40 more blocks per set than their opponents.
– Alexis Bull is seventh in the UAC in blocks (1.04/set) and ninth in hitting percentage (.299).
– Outside hitter Addison Burke and right side Emma Closurdo combined for 26 kills and only two errors against Central Arkansas on Friday. Burke had 14 kills, one error and a .542 attack percentage. Closurdo had 12 kills one error and a .550 hitting percentage.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
– UT Arlington sits at 10-12 this season and 4-6 in the UAC. The Mavericks had a 2-match winning streak snapped at home against North Alabama, 3-1, on Saturday.
– Evyn Snook leads the team, and is second in the UAC, with 3.37 kills per set. Camryn McMinn averages 2.73 kills per set. Sophia Krichev is first in the conference with 1.35 blocks per set.
– UTA allows the second-most blocks in the conference at 2.26 per set. The Mavericks are last in the league in aces (1.09/set).
– North Alabama is 17-6 overall and tied for second in the UAC with a 7-3 record. The Lions have won three of their last four matches.
– Reese Ricketts leads the team, and the UAC, with 4.01 kills per set. Dylann Garner contributes 2.88 kills per set. Ava Martindale is third in the league with 4.70 digs per set.
– UNA has the second-best hitting percentage (.226) and the second-best opponents’ hitting percentage (.185) in the conference.
INSIDE THE SERIES
– The Colonels faced Texas-Arlington three times between 1983 and 1995. The Mavericks won two of those. EKU evened the series by winning the first meeting this season between the teams, 3-0, in Arlington on Oct. 3.
– Eastern has a 7-3 edge in the series against North Alabama and has won four straight against the Lions. EKU earned a 3-0 win in the first meeting this season, on Oct. 10 in Richmond.