2017-18 Top-10: Giant-killing APSU Govs take down Top Foes

APSU Sports Information

Clarksville, TN – It’s not often that the little school with the funny name gets its chance to go toe-to-toe with one of the big boys.

If we’re lucky, APSU might get a dozen or so chances in a given year to take down a top-25 foe.

The 2017-18 year saw a trio of Governor squads topple a team considered to be among the nation’s best.

In the season-opening Governors Challenge, Austin Peay volleyball offered a taste of things to come when it took 19th-ranked Missouri to five sets, ultimately toppling the Tigers 3-2 in a match that included a 25-11 first-set thrashing and a furious rally after falling behind 10-5 in the deciding fifth set.

Ashley Slay, who would go on to earn Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year honors, crushed a team-best 20 kills to knock off the Governors visitors from SEC country.

When FCS No. 18 UT Martin visited Clarksville for a clash with the APSU Governor football team on September 30th, the Govs had just finished defeating Morehead State and Murray State to polish off the nation’s longest losing streak and road losing streak; defeating the Skyhawks 7-0 proved the Govs were no fluke.

In a rigorous defensive struggle, Austin Peay’s first win against a nationally-ranked foe since 2009 featured just one score, a 22-yard end-around run by Terrius Callahan, but got 90 crucial rushing yards from Ahmaad Tanner on offense and 2.5 sacks from Jaison Williams and a career-best 14 tackles by Jeremiah Mitchell to pace the defensive effort.

Fast-forward to the spring, and a date with fifth-ranked Clemson. In the Friday night matchup of No. 1 starters, Michael Costanzo outdueled Logan Hennessey, combining with Brett Newberg to blank the Tigers over the final five innings to make an early offensive outburst stand up in a 6-3 win.

Parker Phillips and Bobby Head launched home runs, with Head adding an RBI double as well to aid Austin Peay in the program’s first-ever win against a top-five opponent.