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HomeSportsMurray State beats APSU Volleyball in four sets at Dunn Center

Murray State beats APSU Volleyball in four sets at Dunn Center

APSU Sports Information

APSU Women's Volleyball - Austin Peay State UniversityClarksville, TN – A matchup between two of the Ohio Valley Conference’s top teams proved up to its billing as Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team forced Murray State to four sets (25-27, 20-25, 25-21, 17-25) before yielding, Tuesday night at the Dunn Center.

Austin Peay Volleyball's Ashley Slay had 19 kills in loses to Murray State at the Dunn Center Wednesday night. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Volleyball’s Ashley Slay had 19 kills in loses to Murray State at the Dunn Center Wednesday night. (APSU Sports Information)

The match got off to an entertaining start with the opening set featuring 11 ties and three lead changes on the way to going into overtime.

Austin Peay (21-9, 10-3 OVC) had to rally from a 23-19 deficit to tie the set 24-24.

The Govs could not get a set point of their own though as the Racers fended off the Govs run and winning the set with an Alex Kaufmann service ace.

APSU Volleyball - Ashley SlayMurray State (17-8, 12-1 OVC) took control of the second set at the midway point, using a 7-1 run to build a 18-13 lead. Austin Peay would battle back with four straight points near the end of the frame, closing to within 24-20, but could not recover from the mid-set lapse.

Austin Peay came out of the break and won another back-and-forth set that featured 11 ties and five lead changes. The Governors asserted control of the frame with a 7-2 run that included kills from four different APSU hitters for a 22-17 lead. Austin Peay nursed that lead to the end with junior Ashley Slay providing the set-winning kill.

The Racers’ Kristen Besselsen helped her squad gain early control of the fourth set, posting four consecutive kills for a 6-2 early lead. The Governors would get as close as two points the rest of the way, but no closer as Murray State clinched the match.

APSU Volleyball - Logan CargerSlay led the Govs with a 19-kill, .400-attack percentage performance. Sophomore Logan Carger posted career bests in kills (14) and blocks (six) in an impressive outing. Austin Peay finished with 51 kills and a .218 attack percentage.

Carger’s six-block effort led the Govs defense which posted seven blocks. Freshman Ginny Gerig (23 digs) and senior Sammie Ebright (22) were the backbone of an 83-dig outing.

Besselsen led Murray State with a 25-kill, .345-attack outing. Scottie Ingram posted 15 kills but was held to a .055 attack percentage. The Racers ended the night with 69 kills and a .216 attack percentage. Ellie Lorenz led Murray State’s defense with 30 of her team’s 87 digs.

Austin Peay continues its four-match homestand when it hosts Morehead State in a 1:00pm, Saturday contest at the Dunn Center.

Inside The Box Score

APSU Volleyball - Sammie EbrightCarger Drives The Govs
Sophomore Logan Carger had her best outing as a Governor, posting career highs in kills (14) and blocks (six). It was her second consecutive double-digit kill outing and third this season. In addition, she has 10 blocks in her last two matches.

D-Ebright
Senior Sammie Ebright posted a season-high 22 digs in Tuesday’s loss, one shy of tying her career high.

It was her ninth double-digit dig performance in her last 12 matches.

Double 20s For Gerig
APSU Volleyball - Ginny Gerig
Freshman Ginny Gerig posted her second-straight 20-dig performance, finishing with a team-leading 23 digs against Murray State. It was her first back-to-back 20-dig efforts this season.

Slay Notches Best Back-To-Back
Junior Ashley Slay finished with 19 kills and a .400 attack percentage. The 41 kills in two matches is her best back-to-back outings this season. It also was her fourth-consecutive .400-attack percentage outing.

Govs Slide To Third, For The Moment
Austin Peay ended the night third in the OVC regular-season race, falling ½-game behind SIU Edwardsville, which has one fewer match played. The Cougars return to action, Friday, while the Govs and Racers prepare for Saturday home outings.

Box Score

Murray State (17-8, 12-1 OVC) at Austin Peay (21-9, 10-3 OVC)

Team 1 2 3 4 Final
Austin Peay 25 20 25 17 (1)
Murray State 27 25 21 25 (3)
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