The duo of Mikayla Logan and Hannah Keating are tied for the team lead with 13 blocks each.
RICHMOND, Ky. – Eastern Kentucky will play its first home matches of the season this weekend as part of the 4-team Colonel Challenge at McBrayer Arena.
All three EKU matches will air live on ESPN+.
The Colonel Challenge begins Friday at 10 a.m. when Western Illinois faces Western Carolina. EKU’s first home match of the season follows at 12 p.m. against New Mexico State.
Friday’s 4-match extravaganza continues at 4 p.m. when Western Carolina plays New Mexico State. The day concludes with Eastern Kentucky playing Western Illinois at 6 p.m.
On Saturday, Western Illinois and New Mexico State face off at 11 a.m. The event concludes with Western Carolina and the Colonels playing each other at 1 p.m.
INSIDE THE SERIES
– New Mexico State and Eastern Kentucky have played each other three times, with the Aggies winning all three. The last meeting was in 2018.
– EKU holds a 3-1 advantage against Western Illinois. The two teams last met in 2014.
– Despite their relative proximity, Western Carolina and the Colonels have only met three times with EKU holding the 2-1 edge. The most recent meeting came in 2014 as well.
THE COLONELS
– Eastern Kentucky (1-5) dropped all three matches at last weekend’s Loyola Tournament, including a 3-2 setback in the finale against Southern Illinois Edwardsville.
– Molly Michalak leads the team with 69 kills and an average of 2.76 per set. She has also contributed 44 digs (2.04/set), the second most on the team.
– The duo of Mikayla Logan and Hannah Keating are tied for the team lead with 13 blocks each.
– Sydney Schoen has a team-high 96 digs (3.84 per set).
– Freshman Anna Purichia was chosen to the Loyola Tournament All-Tournament Team. In three matches she totaled 26 kills.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
– New Mexico State is 3-3 this season. The Aggies have wins over UC San Diego, Marist and Northwestern. Shaney Lipscomb leads the team with 2.65 kills per set.
– Western Illinois is 0-6 in 2021. The Leathernecks lost three times at the IUPUI Invitational last weekend, including twice by a 3-2 score. Aubrey Putman and Kennedy Davis lead the team with 46 kills each.
– Western Carolina (2-3) picked up its first two wins of the season this past weekend at the Grand Canyon Invite, beating Rider 3-2 and Villanova 3-0. Merry Gebel leads the Catamounts with 3.00 kills per set.
