33.3 F
Clarksville
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
HomeSportsAustin Peay State University Women's Volleyball finishes home slate this weekend

Austin Peay State University Women’s Volleyball finishes home slate this weekend

APSU Sports Information

Austin Peay State University Lady Govs - APSUClarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team will take its final home bow of the 2014 campaign with a pair of Ohio Valley Conference contests. The Lady Govs first host Tennessee Tech in a 6:00pm, Friday contest before Jacksonville State visits the Dunn Center for a 1:00pm, Saturday matchup.

Austin Peay Lady Govs Volleyball plays Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State to wrap up wraps home slate Friday-Saturday. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Lady Govs Volleyball plays Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State to wrap up wraps home slate Friday-Saturday. (APSU Sports Information)

The Lady Govs will recognize their four seniors prior to the start of Friday’s contest – with outside hitter Jada Stotts, setter Cami Fields and middle blockers Liz Landon and Hillary Plybon set to play their final home weekend.

The quartet have ushered Austin Peay volleyball back to forefront of OVC squads during their careers and will seek to help solidify that standing in the regular season’s final six matches.

APSU's Jada Stotts“I can’t say enough about what our four seniors have meant for this program,” said Lady Govs head coach Taylor Mott. “Each of them has made a mark on this program and has been instrumental in our success the past two seasons. They have been a selfless group, willing to do whatever it takes to help the team.”

Austin Peay enters its final home weekend with a 5-5 conference mark, good for sixth place in the league standings.

APSU's Cami FieldsThe Lady Govs currently are in the eight-team OVC Tournament field, but only hold a two-match cushion with six matches left.

The Lady Govs will look to buck a slump that has seen them lost five of their last six while moving against two teams ahead of it in the standings.

APSU's Liz LandonI don’t believe anyone on this team is comfortable with sixth place,” said Mott. “We know we are capable of playing much better than we have the past three weeks. There are six matches remaining and we play a lot of teams ahead of us, so there will be plenty of opportunities to move up.”

In fact, Austin Peay’s final six-match stretch will see it face four of the top five teams in the league, starting with fifth-place Tennessee Tech and third-place Jacksonville State this weekend.

The Lady Govs also will face co-third place Eastern Kentucky and league-leading Murray State on the regular season’s final week.

Players to Watch

APSU's Hillary PlybonSenior middle blocker Hillary Plybon returned to the Lady Govs lineup last week and made an immediate impact.

She recorded nine kills in three sets off the bench against Eastern Illinois, Friday. Plybon returned to the starting rotation against SIU Edwardsville, Saturday, and led the Lady Govs with a season-best 14 kills and four blocks.

APSU's Aubrey MarsellisJunior setter Aubrey Marsellis stepped up in the absence of Stotts, who missed Saturday’s contest against SIU Edwardsville due to injury.

She recorded her season’s second triple-double with 11 kills, 33 assists and 11 digs. Marsellis’ first triple-double came September 13th at Western Kentucky when she had 12 kills, 24 assists and 10 digs.

Scouting the Opposition

Tennessee Tech (11-15, 6-4 OVC)

Tennessee Tech has recovered from a 2-3 start in conference play by winning four of its last five entering this weekend’s action. The Golden Eagles are 2-2 in road conference action, but swept both ends of its last road trip, at Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky.

TTU has a potent combo in junior outside hitter Cody Dodd (3.67 kills per set), who ranks fourth among OVC hitters, and freshman outside hitter Kellie Williams (3.28 kills per set).

Jacksonville State (16-11, 7-3 OVC)
Jacksonville State will bring a two-match win streak into the weekend, with a win against Eastern Kentucky and a nonconference victory against Alabama State. The Gamecocks have alternated wins and losses in conference play over the last seven matches, posting a 4-3 record in that span. JSU boasts a balanced offensive attack with four players recording more than 100 kills in league play.

Team Comparison
Team APSU TTU JSU
Record 11-15 11-15 16-11
OVC 5-5 (3rd) 6-4 (5th) 7-3 (t3rd)
Kills* 13.35 11.62 12.09
PCT. .212 .169 .212
Aces* 1.30 1.31 0.98
Digs* 17.05 17.18 15.95
Blocks* 1.80 1.85 1.82
RELATED ARTICLES

Latest Articles