MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Eastern Kentucky University will begin play in the 2023 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) on Thursday against Clemson in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
 
The match is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN+.  Middle Tennessee State University is one of eight hosts for the first two rounds of the NIVC.  The winner of the EKU/Clemson match will face the winner of the MTSU/Ball State match on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
 
THE COLONELS
-  EKU is 21-8 this season and finished third in the Atlantic Sun Conference with an 11-5 mark.  The Colonels were upset by No. 6 seed North Florida in the first round of the league tournament.
 
-  Carson Ledford, Sarah Mitchell, Josie Schmitendorf and AG Vandagriff were selected Second Team All-ASUN.
 
-  EKU is 12th in the nation with 14.09 kills per set, 10th with 13.20 assists per set and 28th with 1.85 aces per set.
 
-  Schmitendorf is second in the ASUN and 30th in the nation with 4.88 digs per set.
 
-  Ledford is third in the ASUN with a .345 attack percentage and eighth in blocks with 0.91 per set.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
-  Clemson is 17-13 overall this season.  The Tigers went 8-10 in Atlantic Coast Conference matches.  EKU and Clemson share one common opponent this season.  Both teams beat Winthrop – Clemson by a 3-1 score and the Colonels with a 3-0 shutout.  
 
-  The Tigers were 5-3 in their final eight matches, earning wins over Syracuse (3-0), Boston College (3-0), Notre Dame (3-1 and 3-1) and Virginia Tech (3-0).
 
-  Kennedy Wagner, a 6-foot freshman outside hitter, leads the team with 2.37 kills per set.  Azyah Dailey, a 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter, is close behind with 2.22 kills per set.  Adria Powell, a 6-foot-2 middle blocker who transferred from Ohio State, leads the team and is 36th in the nation with 1.27 blocks per set.  
 
-  As a team, Clemson has hit .200 for the season.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
-  EKU and Clemson have met four times with the Tigers winning all four matches. 
 
-  The first meeting between the two programs was in 1981.  The most recent contest came on Sept. 3, 1999 at the L&L/Michigan State Classic in East Lansing.  Clemson earned a 3-0 win.