APSU Sports Information
Martin, TN – The 2017 Austin Peay State University volleyball team became just the third in program history to record a 10-match win streak, reaching the mark with a three-set Ohio Valley Conference sweep (25-19, 25-21, 26-24) of UT Martin, Saturday, at Skyhawk Fieldhouse.
Senior Ashley Slay notched her 300th career block in the victory, becoming just the fifth Governors player to reach the milestone. She led Austin Peay (16-2, 3-0 OVC) with 15 kills, a .565 attack percentage and four blocks in the victory.
UT Martin (9-8, 3-1 OVC) had an opportunity to extend the match in the third when it led by three points, 22-19, late. But Austin Peay scored the next four points, including a pair of service aces by Ginny Gerig, to regain the lead, 23-22. The Skyhawks denied a pair of match points before Slay and sophomore Jenna Panning hit back-to-back kills to end the match.
Slay’s 15-kill outing led all hitters and paced an APSU attack that finished with 42 kills. Austin Peay added six aces and 10 blocks in the win.
Megan Fair led UT Martin with 12 kills and two blocks as the Skyhawks were held to 39 kills. The Skyhawks service game betrayed them with no aces while committing nine errors.
Set by Set
FIRST. After a cagey start by both teams, which included Ashley Slay notching her 300th career block, Austin Peay used three consecutive points to break the set’s final tie and take an 18-15 lead.
The Govs kept the lead around three points the rest of the way before closing with another three-point burst, including a Brooke Moore ace and an Ashley Slay kill, to notch the 25-19 victory. Slay finished with four kills in the set as the Govs needed just 11 kills to post the win.
SECOND. Austin Peay got out to a 3-0 start in the second set and held the lead until the Skyhawks pieced together a 6-2 run to tie the frame, 14-14. The Govs kept UTM from taking the lead and slowly rebuilt their advantage to three points, 20-17. Austin Peay traded points with UT Martin from there, winning 25-21. Christina White notched five kills and a .400 attack percentage to pace the Govs 14-kill effort.
THIRD. Slay opened the third set with three consecutive kills as the Govs raced to a 4-0 lead. The Govs nursed that lead through the set’s first 35 points before UT Martin used a 4-0 run of its own to take its first lead, 21-18. The Governors pushed back with a set-changing 5-0 run of their own, including a pair of service aces by Ginny Gerig, to set up match point, 24-22.
UTM was able to stave off a pair of match points and force overtime where Jenna Panning and Slay combined on back-to-back kills, ending the match. Slay’s match-ending kill was the final touch on a seven-kill performance in the frame, the Govs recording 17 kills.
Govs Notably
Slay in Rare Group. Slay is one of only three Governors (Smith and Walk) to record both 1,000 kills and 300 blocks during their career.
Double-Digit Win Streaks. 10 match win streaks have been a harbinger of good times for past Governors teams. The other two teams to notch a double-digit win streak in a season each ended that year with a ring.
- 12 – 1992 Team (28-7, won OVC regular-season title)
- 10 – 2010 Team (26-8, won OVC tournament title)
- 10 – 2017 Team
11 (Sets) in a Row. In addition to its 10-match win streak, Austin Peay has now won its last 11 sets. The Govs won their last two sets against Eastern Illinois a week ago to start the streak. This week Austin Peay posted three-set sweeps at Alabama A&M, Southeast Missouri and UT Martin to set the streak.
398/94. Head coach Taylor Mott continued her march toward two significant victory marks. Saturday’s win was her 398th career win as well as was her 94th Austin Peay victory.
Next Up for APSU Volleyball
Austin Peay closes its four-match road trip with a 7:00pm, Tuesday contest at Murray State. It will be the second contest between the universities as part of the Heritage Bank Battle of the Border series.
