Austin Peay Lady Govs vs. Southeast Missouri Redhawks
Thursday, November 21st | 3:30pm CT | OVC Tournament
Morehead, KY | Wetherby Gym (3,500)
Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team begins its postseason when it faces Southeast Missouri in a 3:30pm (CT), Thursday opening-round contest at the Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Championship hosted by Morehead State.
The Lady Govs will seek to reverse their season-ending skid that saw them lose four of their six November contests, including a loss at Southeast Missouri. Austin Peay’s offense has been the crux of its problems, averaging just 11.26 kills per set at a .168 attack percentage.
Despite those team woes, there have been bright spots. Senior middle blocker Lauren Henderson has led the Lady Govs in points (80.5), kills (59), service (10) and blocks (23) during November. Junior middle blocker Hillary Plybon has posted 40 kills and 22 blocks during the month.
Meanwhile, sophomore Aubrey Marsellis has moved into a hybrid setter/right-side hitter role and has recorded 45 kills and 17 blocks in the season’s final month.
“We haven’t been consistent offensively during this final stretch,” said Lady Govs head coach Taylor Mott. “Yet we’ve still had stretches in each set where we put it together and made a run. The thing that is holding us back, and was evident in our last match against Morehead State, is we lack the ability to finish a set off when we’re up. That is something we will have to do in the tournament if we want to advance.”
The winner of the Austin Peay-Southeast Missouri contest will advance to Friday’s semifinals to face the winner of the Morehead State-Tennessee State contest, which will follow the Lady Govs first round game.
Scouting the Opposition
Southeast Missouri (17-15, 9-7 OVC) closed the regular season with four wins in six November matches. The Redhawks finished with the fewest kills per set (11.53) among all league members in conference play, but were efficient in their attack with .209 attack percentage that ranked fourth.
The Redhawks boast a balanced offensive unit with four players averaging more than two kills per set in OVC play. Senior Colleen Yarber leads that quartet with 2.97 kills per set while senior Emily Coon has posted a team-best .317 attack percentage while averaging 2.39 kills per set.
The Regular Season Series
Austin Peay and Southeast Missouri split their regular-season series, with the home team winning each match. The Lady Govs won a four-set decision in Clarksville while the Redhawks prevailed in a three-set sweep at Cape Girardeau.
Henderson led Austin Peay with 24 kills (3.43 per set), six service aces and three blocks during the season series. Junior Jada Stotts added 26 kills (3.71 per set), but they were the only two players to record more than 20 kills in the two matches.
On the Web
Thursday’s match can be seen live for free worldwide on the OVC Digital Network. In addition, Morehead State will provide live statistics of the match through its website, MSUEagles.com.
