2008 Woodie Awards
MT Volleyball 17-1 to date
Blue Raiders ranked, undefeated in SBC
Clarence Plank
Issue date: 10/4/07 Section: Sports
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The Blue Raiders (17-1, 4-0) are coming off consecutive wins in the Sun Belt Conference and now face a hot UALR team who has been working very hard during the off season to get back on top of the SBC.
MT has been preparing for them in practice for most of the week and they have been working on improving their game after the Blue Raiders' win over North Texas.
"We really didn't play a good game on Friday, but then again we haven't lost a game in the conference," head coach Matt Peck said. "We're going to try to work through some things this weekend. One thing is, we've got to continue to play well all the time against every opponent, not just when we think the team we are playing is a good team."
The Trojans (12-5, 4-1) come to MT after defeating New Orleans 3-0 for their first win over the Privateers since 2004. UALR finished the game with 47 kills and 11 blocks to win their third straight.
This weekend, the Trojans will face MT and Western Kentucky, who are both undefeated in SBC play. UALR currently leads the Western Division, with Denver a very close second at 2-2. The Trojans lead the series 8-5.
Though Coach Peck is 5-0 against UALR since coming to MTSU four years ago, this is the best year that UALR has had since coach Peck became MT's head coach.
"Traditionally, they have been the best team in the conference" Peck said. "They have won the conference championship a number of times, but I think a lot of teams have caught up with them. This year has been a good year for them, though. We're expecting them to play well."
"Right now Little Rock is having a lot better success than Arkansas State," Peck said. "Little Rock is a tall team and they have a lot of international players that are generally experienced players. So, we have to play well against them."
Arkansas State will face Western Kentucky before coming to MT and the team has suffered some setbacks with injuries as of late. They are coming off a much-needed win over Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday.
"Arkansas State has had a lot of injuries so I don't even know who they're going to put on the floor against us," Peck said. "This makes it very difficult for us to scout their team and come up with a gameplan."
The Indians' defense is currently ranked 9th in the nation with 19.18 digs per game. They currently lead the SBC in digs.
MT is one of three schools that are currently undefeated in conference, joined by Florida International and Western Kentucky.
The Blue Raiders face Arkansas-Little Rock at 7 p.m. Friday night at the AMG and play Arkansas State on Sunday at 1 p.m.
MT is currently ranked no. 26 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll with 74 points, just two points behind #25 Colorado State, who received 76.
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