APSU Lady Govs Volleyball visits Murray State Racers

Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team begins the regular season’s final week with a 7:00pm, Tuesday contest at Murray State.

Austin Peay (11-20, 8-6 OVC) has struggled during the past three weeks, posting a 2-5 mark during that span.

Inconsistent passing and poor defense outings have caused the bulk of the Lady Govs problems. The passing woes have resulted in the team posting a .179 attack percentage while the defensive difficulties have allowed opponents to hit .243 against the team.

“We know what we have to do over the few matches that remain,” said Lady Govs head coach Taylor Mott. “If we’re going to improve our offense it starts with passing and defense and everyone is involved in those aspects of the game. I believe we have the ability to raise our play and will play with a sense of urgency in the matches we have left.”

One bright spot during the last three weeks has been the play of senior middle blocker Lauren Henderson.

Last week, she recorded her 100th block this season, becoming the first Lady Govs player to record multiple 100-block seasons. Henderson also became the fourth Lady Govs blocker to record 300 career blocks and enters the final week with 305 career stops.

“I am proud of the way Lauren has played these past few weeks,” said Mott. “She has been a leader on the court with her play. We will need her to continue that effort this week as we have two big matches left.”

Scouting the Opposition

Murray State (15-13, 5-9 OVC) remains in the hunt for one of the eight spots in next week’s OVC Tournament after sweeping last weekend’s matches. The Racers posted five-set wins at both Southeast Missouri and UT Martin to break out of a slump that saw them post two wins in their previous nine games.

Sophomore Alyssa Lelm leads the Murray State offense, and ranks 10th among conference hitters, with 3.14 kills per set. Defensively, senior Katlyn Hudson paces Murray State with 4.26 digs per set, ranking eighth in the league.

Previous Meeting and Series History

Austin Peay won the season’s previous meeting with Murray State, ekeing out a five-set decision in Clarksville, October 1st. Four Lady Govs hitters recorded 15 or more kills in the match, senior Calyn Hull and junior Jada Stotts each posting 16 kills.

Meanwhile, Scottie Ingram led Murray State with 18 kills while Lelm added 17 kills.

The Lady Govs have won the last eight matches in the series and holds a 35-32 edge in the series all time. The Racers last win in the series came October 16th, 2009 in Murray.

On the Web

Tuesday’s contest can be seen live for free nationwide on the OVC Digital Network (http://www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com). In addition, live statistics can be found on Murray State’s website (www.GoRacers.com).