APSU Sports Information
Nashville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s (APSU) volleyball team jumped out to a two set lead but could not hold on, dropping its first Ohio Valley Conference decision of the season to Belmont in five sets (25-19, 25-14, 12-25, 22-25, 10-15), Friday night at the Curb Events Center.
Austin Peay (16-3, 6-1 OVC) broke out quickly in the first two sets and won the second frame in wire-to-wire fashion.
The Govs offense clicked early with 23 kills in the first two sets while Belmont was held to 17 kills and a .027 attack percentage.
Belmont (2-17, 2-5 OVC) bounced back to win the third as the Austin Peay offense sputtered to just six kills in the frame.
The Bruins then won a slugfest in the fourth frame, outhitting the Govs by a 20-14 margin in kills. Belmont then took charge early in the tiebreaker fifth, using a 10-3 run to take control at 10-5 and held off a late APSU run to claim the match.
Cecily Gable led Austin Peay with 19 kills and a .312 attack percentage. Kaylee Taff added six kills and seven blocks while Brooke Moore chipped in 11 kills and 20 digs.
However, the Govs were held to a season-low .150 team attack percentage.
Taylor Floyd paced Belmont with a 16-kill outing. Alexa Nichols added 14 kills and Mackenzie LePage provided 10 kills.
Austin Peay continues its stay in Nashville with a 2:00pm, Saturday contest at Tennessee State.
Set-By-Set
SET 1, Govs Win 25-19
After the Govs and Bruins exchanged points early, Austin Peay gained a small advantage with a 4-1 run to force the first Belmont stoppage. The Bruins would fight back to level the set at 11-11, but APSU regained control with four straight points to force a second Belmont timeout at 15-11.
However, the stoppage did not deter the Govs as they scored four more points after the break to take a 19-11 advantage they would not relinquish. .
SET 2, Govs Win 25-14
Austin Peay clinched the second set with a wire-to-wire effort. The Govs scored seven of the first eight points to gain the early momentum and didn’t let up. The lead hit 10 points at 17-7 after back-to-back APSU points.
SET 3, Bruins Win 25-12
A close set early on was broken open midway by a 7-0 Belmont run with Maggie Mullins providing a pair of aces as the Bruins built a 15-6 lead. The Govs offense was stuck in neutral for most of the third, posting six kills but committing eight errors (four coming via a Belmont block), and could not mount a late charge.
SET 4, Bruins Win 25-22
The fourth set turned into a slugfest between the two offenses, Belmont out hitting the Govs 20-14 in kills. Belmont would take the lead for good at 4-3 but was unable to build a comfortable lead.
The Govs charged back from a six point deficit at 20-15 to get back within two points at 20-18 but could not get any closer at Belmont won to force the tiebreaker.
SET 5, Bruins Win 15-10
Belmont overcame back-to-back errors to start the fifth by piecing together a 10-3 run to take control at 10-5.
Austin Peay would get back within two points at 11-0 after a block by Logan Carger and Brooke Moore, but Belmont scored the next two to fend off the rally and won the match.
APSU Govs, Notably
Taff’s Career Night
Kaylee Taff tied her career high with seven blocks against the Bruins and jumped two spots on the Governors career blocks list, ending the night tied for ninth all time with 253 blocks.
She equaled the mark set by Ashley Genslak (2000-03) and now begins her move to the next spot up the ladder held by Jessica Mollmann (277 blocks, 2007-10).
Big Night At The Net
Paced by Taff’s outing, Austin Peay posted 10 blocks in the loss to Belmont. It was the third time the Govs posted double-digit blocks in a match but the first time they lost a match in which they had reached that mark.
Curb Event Center Still A Haunted House
Austin Peay lost its sixth consecutive match at Belmont’s Curb Event Center. The Governors only win at the facility was in their first visit, a four-set victory in 2004.
