APSU Sports Information
Clarksville, TN – Junior transfer Kaitlyn Teeter finished the night with a career-high 19 kills but Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team dropped a five-set decision (25-21, 20-25, 23-25, 25-20, 13-15) to Saint Louis, Tuesday afternoon at the Dunn Center.
Ultimately, Austin Peay (5-6) will look back at the third set and wonder what could have been.
Saint Louis roared back with the next six points to erase that lead and developed that burst into a 12-2 run that put it ahead by five points, 16-11.
The Govs showed their resiliency, battling back with an 11-3 run of their own to build another three-point lead, 22-19. Senior Sammie Ebright sparked the run with her tough serve forcing four SLU errors to tie the set and take the lead.
The Billkens responded with the next three points and tied the set at 22-22 with a service ace. After a SLU service error gave APSU a 23-22 lead, Saint Louis got a kill from Danielle Rygelski to gain serve then Lauren Leverenz followed with a kill and a block to clinch the set.
Austin Peay dominated the fourth set, winning in wire-to-wire fashion. Junior Ashley Slay did the biggest part of the work with six kills on seven errorless attacks in the frame.
The Govs carried that momentum into the fifth set as they raced out to a three-point advantage, 5-2. They saw that lead evaporate as Saint Louis rallied to tie the set, 7-7, but three quick APSU Points gave APSU a 10-7 advantage.
Saint Louis (3-8) turned to Leverenz again and she posted back-to-back kills followed by a Rygelski kill to level the set again, 10-10. The teams traded points until an APSU error handed the Bilikens the first match point and Leverenz ended the match with a kill.
Teeter’s 19-kill night was her third double-digit kill total this season and was the most kills by a Govs hitter this season. Slay notched her second 16-kill outing this season, finishing with a team-best .367 attack percentage.
Rygelski led Saint Louis with a 26-kill outing. Taylor Paulson added 17 kills and Leverenz finished with 12 kills. The trio combined for 55 of the Billikens’ 66 kills in the contest.
Inside the Box Score
Teeter’s Big Day
Kaitlyn Teeter‘s career night also was the best attacking night for a Governors hitter this season, topping a pair of 16-kill outings by junior Ashley Slay. Teeter opened the night with seven kills in the first set and was a steady supplier from that point onward.
Slay Big in the 2nd and 4th Frames
Slay posted her second 16-kill effort this season, but the kills came in bursts as she recorded six kills in both the second and fourth sets.
In the second set, she was charged with one error and posted a .556 attack percentage. The fourth was even better as she took seven errorless swings for an impressive .857 attack percentage.
How close was Tuesday’s contest? Each team finished with 106 points, a 106-106 tie. The Govs scored 79 points on its own and received 27 points from Saint Louis. The Billikens scored 84 points on their own and received 22 points from Austin Peay.
Five-Set Win Streak Halted
It was the third time this season the Govs went to five sets – they had to win the fourth set each time to force the tiebreaker – but it is the first time they lost the fifth set. It snapped APSU’s four-match win streak in five-set affairs.
Austin Peay concludes its pre-conference schedule when it travels to the Bulldog Invitational hosted by The Citadel. The Govs will face the hosts in an 8:00am (CT), Friday contest to start a four-match weekend.
Box Score
Saint Louis vs. Austin Peay
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Records | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Peay | (2) | 25 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 13 | 5-6 |
| Saint Louis | (3) | 21 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 3-8 |
