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HomeSportsAPSU Volleyball downs SIU Edwardsville in five sets

APSU Volleyball downs SIU Edwardsville in five sets

APSU Sports Information

APSU Women's VolleyballClarksville, TN –  Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team eked out a five-set Ohio Valley Conference victory (25-19, 24-26, 25-21, 17-25, 19-17) against SIU Edwardsville, Friday night at the Dunn Center. Redshirt junior Christina White posted 17 kills in the win.

Austin Peay (12-2, 1-0 OVC) had to fend off a pair of match points in the fifth set with freshman Brooke Moore supplying a kill and an SIUE error helping to extend the match.

Austin Peay Volleyball's Christina White has 17 kills in win over SIU Edwardsville at the Dunn Center Friday night. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Volleyball’s Christina White has 17 kills in win over SIU Edwardsville at the Dunn Center Friday night. (APSU Sports Information)

White followed the SIUE error with a kill to give the Govs control with a match point opportunity at 16-15.

SIUE (10-3, 0-1 OVC) staved off a pair of match points as Jackie Scott delivered a pair of kills.

But Austin Peay forced a SIUE attack error to get a third chance at 18-17 and junior Kristen Stucker ended the match with a service ace for the 19-17 win.

APSU Volleyball's Ashley SlayThe matchup of the OVC’s top middle blockers – Austin Peay’s Ashley Slay and SIUE’s Taylor Joens – was essentially fought to a draw with Slay 14 kills and a .149 attack percentage while Joens had 13 kills and a .216 attack percentage.  

Instead, it was special teams play that decided the match with Austin Peay receiving credit for nine service aces while SIUE finished with two aces.

The Govs also held a 10-8 advantage in blocks.

APSU Volleyball's Allie O’ReillyWhite led the Govs with three service aces while chipping in on two blocks.

White posted her season’s sixth double-double with the team-leading 17 kills and 16 digs.

Slay added a team-best five blocks while senior Allie O’Reilly had a team-best 24 digs.  

Four SIUE hitters finished with double-digit kills, Jackie Scott leading the way with 14 kills.

Joens, Emily Harrison and Ashley Witt each had 13 kills.

Set By Set

APSU Volleyball - Logan CargerFirst. Austin Peay used a 9-2 run to break open the set, turning a 6-6 tie into a 15-8 lead. Logan Carger and Ashley Slay each had two kills in the game-breaking run. SIUE would close within three points on a 4-0 run late in the set, but Austin Peay stymied the run with back-to-back points and marched to a 25-19 win. Carger led the Govs with five kills, no errors and a .625 attack percentage in the frame as the Govs finished with 16 kills.

Second. The Govs threatened to run away early in the second set, opening with a 7-2 salvo to force a SIUE timeout. That stoppage stabilized the Cougars, who would rally to tie the set, 12-12, thanks to an 8-2 run. The Cougars would grab the lead thanks to an Ashley Witt kill, 20-19.  But Austin Peay got to set point first, 24-23, only to see SIUE’s Emily Harrison record three consecutive kills to grab the win, 26-24. White led the Govs with four kills, but the Govs surrendered 16 kills while scoring only 15 kills and committing seven attack errors.

Third. Austin Peay dominated the third frame, leading wire-to-wire. The Govs opened with a 6-1 run to force an early SIUE timeout. The Cougars again climbed back into the set and closed within a point, 20-19, late but could not gain the lead. White and Panning each had blocks on crucial points down the stretch before an SIUE error handed the Govs a 25-21 win. The Govs posted 17 kills and a .280 attack percentage in the set with White notching five kills.

Fourth. SIUE flipped the script in the fourth, winning wire-to-wire. The Cougars opened with a 6-2 run after three consecutive APSU attack errors. Back-to-back errors later in the set gave SIUE a 13-8 lead and forced an Austin Peay timeout. The Govs charged back and got within two points, 15-17, after back-to-back blocks, but could not get closer. The Cougars ended the set with four consecutive points to claim a 25-17 win. Austin Peay’s offense was stymied in the fourth, posting seven kills and eight attack errors.

Fifth. The tiebreaker set was a barn-burner affair that featured 13 ties and seven lead changes. SIUE led by three points, 8-5, at the changeover after kills by Jackie Scott and Kiana Fields. Austin Peay tied the frame with a 3-0 run held by a pair of SIUE errors and a White kill. The teams traded the next 18 points until the Govs forced back-to-back Cougars errors to secure the 19-17 win. Austin Peay recorded just nine kills in the tiebreaker but received 10 points from SIUE errors.

Govs Notably

APSU Volleyball's Christina WhiteWhite Leads the Charge. White finished with a team-best 21.5 points – 17 kills, three aces, a block solo and a block assist – for her best outing since a 22.5-point outing against Marshall, August 25. It was White’s third double-digit kill outing in the last four matches and she is averaging 3.50 kills per set over her last four matches. .

Another Nine From the Line. For a second straight match, the Govs posted nine service aces. It is the fourth time this season APSU has recorded nine or more aces in a match and they have 79 aces (1.41 per set) this season. Austin Peay is 4-0 when recording nine or more aces this season.

Big Charge at the Net. The Govs 10-block outing was their third double-digit block performance this season. They improved to 2-1 this season when recording 10 or more blocks in a match.  

Keeping Pace with 2010. The 2017 Govs kept pace with the 2010 APSU squad by improving to 12-2 at the 14-match mark. The 2010 team dropped their 15th match – a five setter at Jacksonville State.

Next Up for APSU Volleyball

Austin Peay finishes its quick two-match OVC homestand with a 2:00pm, Saturday match against Eastern Illinois.

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