Eastern Kentucky University’s volleyball team will open the 2022 season this weekend as part of the 4-team Colonel Classic at McBrayer Arena.
All three EKU matches will air live on ESPN+.
The Colonel Classic begins Friday at 10 a.m. when Radford faces Tennessee-Martin. EKU’s first match of the season follows at 12:30 p.m. against IUPUI.
Friday’s 4-match extravaganza continues at 4 p.m. when IUPUI plays Tennessee-Martin. The day concludes with Eastern Kentucky playing Radford at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, Radford and IUPUI face off at 11 a.m. The event concludes with Tennessee-Martin and the Colonels playing each other at 1:30 p.m. The first 100 fans at Saturday’s match will receive one FREE EKU football ticket to the home opener.
INSIDE THE SERIES
– IUPUI and Eastern Kentucky have played each one other time, with the Colonels winning 3-0 in Richmond during the 2006 season.
– Radford holds a 3-2 advantage against EKU. The two teams played last season in Boone, North Carolina. The Highlanders won 3-1.
– As former conference foes, Tennessee-Martin and the Colonels have met 52 times with EKU holding a 31-21 edge. The most recent meetings came in 2020 when the two teams split a pair of matches.
THE COLONELS
– Eastern Kentucky went 10-21 last season and 7-9 in the ASUN Conference.
– Molly Michalak led the team with an average of 3.01 kills per set. She also contributed 1.40 digs per set.
– Anna Purichia posted 2.33 kills, 1.05 digs and 0.39 blocks per set on her way to being chosen to the ASUN Conference All-Freshman Team.
– Berea, Kentucky native Sarah Mitchell averaged 2.97 kills, 2.43 digs and 0.38 blocks per set in 2021.
– EKU’s leaders in assists (Taylor Grinley) and digs (Sydney Schoen) are not back for the 2022 season.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
– IUPUI went 5-24 last season and 3-15 in the Horizon League. The team’s top five leaders in kills are all back for the 2022 season. Briana Brown led the team with 3.20 kills per set a year ago and contributed 2.08 digs per set.
– Radford finished 6-22 in 2021 and went 4-11 in the Big South Conference. The Highlanders lost their top six leaders in kills from last season’s team. Emma Young is the top returning hitter after averaging 1.62 kills per set.
– Tennessee-Martin posted a 15-17 record a year ago and went 11-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Karen Scanlon, who led the team in kills (2.68 per set) and blocks (0.93 per set) is back in 2022.
Kevin Britton
EKUSports Communications
