Match #20
Lindenwood (12-7, 6-1 OVC)
at UT Martin (3-11, 1-4 OVC)
Match Information:
Date: Friday, Oct. 18
Start Time: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: Martin, Tenn. | Skyhawk Fieldhouse
Live Stats: Stats
Watch: ESPN+

Match #20
Lindenwood
at UT Martin
Match Information:
Date: Saturday, Oct. 19
Start Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Location: Martin, Tenn. | Skyhawk Fieldhouse
Live Stats: Stats
Watch: ESPN+

Matchup
Lindenwood's women volleyball heads to Martin, Tenn. this weekend to take on the Skyhawks of UT Martin starting on Friday, Oct. 18th at 6:00 p.m. CT. The Lions are just 1-3 all-time against UT Martin picking up their first win during their last match in St. Charles in 2023 by a score of 3-1.

Coming into the weekend, Lindenwood is atop the OVC standings with a 6-1 record after defeating Tennessee Tech twice in 3-0 fashion at home last weekend. The OVC recognized Allie Otten and Autumn Bax as Setter and Freshman of the week after their performances vs. TTU.

UT Martin hosts LU with a 3-11 overall record and 1-4 conference record. The Skyhawks played a tough non-conference schedule with matchups against Alabama and Missouri. Their lone win in OV play came against Southern Indiana on Oct. 1st.

Lindenwood has started OVC play hot leading in many offensive categories. They current lead the league in points per set (18.15), hitting percentage (.255), assists per set (13.81), kills per set (14.96) and total kills (389). The Skyhawks rank 10th in points per set (14.25) and kills per set (11.50).

Preseason OVC Rankings
The OVC released their 2024 women's volleyball preseason poll earlier this season where Lindenwood was selected to finish in fifth place. The Lions had the third best record in the conference last season earning as the third seed at the OVC Tournament.

Southeast Missouri State was voted as the preseason favorite in 2024 with six first-place votes and a total of 167 points. Last year's OVC Champions Eastern Illinois was picked to finish right behind them with 166 points and five first place votes.

Morehead State (163 points/five first-place votes), Tennessee Tech (152 points/four first-place votes) and Lindenwood (145 points/one first-place vote) round out the top five in the OVC poll. The top five schools were separate by just 22 points.

Lindenwood also landed two players on the Preseason All-OVC team. Nyah Wilson and Jessie Seidel were selected after both received Second Team All-OVC honors last season. Otten was voted as a player to watch as she returns for her sixth season.

Last Weekend Recap
Women's volleyball captures two key home sweeps over second place Tennessee Tech. Lindenwood was able to hand the Golden Eagles their first two losses in conference play and just their second and third losses overall.

Bax led the way for Lindenwood with 30 kills on her way to her fourth OVC Freshman of the week honors. She hit .529 for the weekend with just three attack errors on 51 swings. The freshman averaged 5.00 kills per set and had 17 kills in a three-set win during match one.

Otten was awarded for her performance last week earning the OVC Setter of the Week. She had 82 assists against TTU helping the Lions hit .311 overall including a season-best .355 during match one. She also earned her fourth Setter of the Week honors.

Seidel continued to be the defensive anchor for the Lions posting 31 digs in just six sets. She currently ranks first overall in OVC play in digs per set averaging 5.50 while ranking third in total digs with 143.

Player To Watch
Rebecca Janke can set history this weekend for Lindenwood as she needs just 33 more kills to reach 1,000 for her career. During LU's NCAA era, she would become just the second Lion to ever reach that accomplishment.

In 2024, Janke leads the team in kills with 194 while hitting a team-high .350 with just 24 attack errors on 486 attempts. The middle blocker also has a team-high 49.0 blocks including 14 solo. She has nine matches with over 10+ kills including a career-high 20 at Western Illinois.

OVC Top Ten Stats
Janke climbs the leader board in overall stats ranking second in hitting percentage with a .350. Of those qualified for hitting percentage, Janke has the second most kills with 194. Bax also ranks fifth in hitting percentage with a .302 mark while posting the third most kills (175), She also ranks sixth in kills per set averaging 3.13 and 10th in points per set averaging 3.29.

Otten continues her strong season at setter ranking fourth in the conference in assists per set with an average of 9.41. Her 706 total assist also ranks second. Seidel ranks fourth defensively in digs per set after averaging 4.92. She is second in total digs with 369.

Scouting the Opponent
UT Martin Category Leaders    
Kills: Kylie Surratt - 141
Assists: Katie Cruise - 393
Aces: Katie Cruise/Kayla Bryant - 17
Digs: Dylan Mott - 264
Blocks: Kristin Phillips - 29.0

Up Next:
Lindenwood travels back to St. Charles and Robert F. Hyland Arena when they battle the Tigers of Tennessee State starting on Thursday, Oct. 24th at 6:00 p.m. CT. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.