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HomeSportsAPSU Volleyball sweeps Murray State, Win Streak now at 11

APSU Volleyball sweeps Murray State, Win Streak now at 11

APSU Sports Information

APSU Women's VolleyballMurray, KY – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team got out to a hot start and could not be cooled off in a three-set Ohio Valley Conference sweep (25-21, 25-11, 25-11) of Murray State, Tuesday night, at Racer Arena.

It was the 11th consecutive win by Austin Peay (17-2, 5-0 OVC), one shy of the program record.

Austin Peay Women's Volleyball now 5-0 in OVC play. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Women’s Volleyball now 5-0 in OVC play. (APSU Sports Information)

It also was the Govs record-tying fourth-straight sweep as they have also tied a program record with 14 consecutive sets won.

The Governors set the tone from the opening serve as Jenna Panning and Kaylee Taff stopped Murray State’s Rachel Giustino with a block. The Racers opened the match by committing seven consecutive attack errors – three forced by APSU blocks — before recording their first kill, but the Govs owned a 10-4 lead and never looked back.

Murray State (11-6, 3-2 OVC) never saw its offense get on track, committing 24 attack errors in the three-set contest while posting just 27 kills for a .029 attack percentage. The Govs supplied a helping hand to the Racers woes with nine blocks.

Senior Ashley Slay paced the Govs with 12 kills, six blocks and a service ace, having a hand in 18 of the Govs 54 points earned. Redshirt junior Christina White tacked on an 11-kill effort that saw her hit .348. Austin Peay finished with 40 kills and a .253 team attack percentage.

Murray State’s Rachel Giustino, the OVC’s leading hitter entering the match, was held to eight kills and a minus-.031 attack percentage.

Set By Set

First. Austin Peay could not have asked for a better start and conversely Murray State could not have endured a worse start. The Racers committed seven consecutive attack errors, three caused by Governors blocks, before posting a kill as the Govs raced to a 10-4 lead. Murray State would get on a roll after that cold start with 10 kills and only one error, but could not overcome the early deficit. White led the Govs with four kills in the first and the Govs needed just 12 kills to notch the win.

Second. Murray State won the opening point of the second set, but that was its high point. Austin Peay scored the next four points and 16 of the next 21 to take complete control of the frame. White posted another four kills while Slay and freshman Brooke Moore added three apiece as the Govs ended the set with 14 kills and a .480 attack percentage.

Third. The mid-match break did Murray State some good as it broke out to a 5-1 lead in the third. Austin Peay responded with an 8-1 run, including six straight points, to take a 9-6 lead. The Racers battled back and tied the set three times – the last at 13-13 – before the Govs took control with a 6-0 run and never looked back. Slay put together a six-kill, three-block effort in the decisive set with Austin Peay recording 14 kills.

Goves Notably

Here A Streak, There A Streak. The Govs extended their win streak to 11 matches, one shy of the program record. However, they also tied the following streaks:

  • 14 consecutive sets won, tying the record set by the 2008 team.
  • 4 consecutive sweeps, tying the record set seven times previously, but for the first time since 2008

Ending A Racer Run. Austin Peay’s win snapped a Murray State five-match win streak in the series. It also was the Govs first win in Murray since the 2013 season, ending the Racers three-match win streak at Racer Arena against APSU.

399/95. Head coach Taylor Mott continued her march toward two significant victory marks. Tuesday’s win was her 399th career win as well as was her 95th Austin Peay victory.

Next Up for APSU Volleyball

Austin Peay returns home for a brief one-match homestand when it hosts Eastern Kentucky in a noon, Saturday, OVC contest at the Dunn Center. Admission to all Governors volleyball matches is free to the public.

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