Austin Peay Lady Govs Volleyball loses in five sets to Eastern Illinois Panthers

APSU Sports: Austin Peay Volleyball

Charleston, IL – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team ran out of magic, dropping a five-set Ohio Valley Conference decision (22-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-23, 11-15) to Eastern Illinois, Saturday, at Lantz Arena.

After surviving a poor defensive outing against SIU Edwardsville the night before, Austin Peay (13-13, 6-4 OVC) could not overcome another night of poor defense. The Lady Govs block had particular trouble against the Panthers, recording only five stops but committing 10 errors.

Eastern Illinois (7-16, 4-6 OVC) took advantage of Austin Peay’s woes, recording 68 kills and a .260 attack percentage. Five Panthers players reached double-digit kill territory, Reynae Hutchinson and Abby Saalfrank each recording 15 kills.

“We made many of the same mistakes we made last night,” said Lady Govs head coach Taylor Mott. “We continue to have trouble passing the ball and our block was nowhere to be found. We have a short turnaround before our next match and we will have to work hard to get better in that time.”

Austin Peay led most of the first set, but watched Eastern Illinois score eight of the sets’ final nine points, including six of points by kills, to win a 25-22 decision. The Lady Govs would not make the same mistake in the second set, building a 12-8 lead they would hold on to winning the frame 25-21.

Eastern Illinois used another late set charge to win the third set. Trailing 15-13 and forced to call a timeout, the Panthers responded by piecing together a 12-3 run to post a 25-18 victory. Forced to win the fourth set to extend the match, Austin Peay broke out to a 9-4 lead.

However, Eastern Illinois rallied with a 13-6 run to tie the set at 22-22. Austin Peay did not surrender the lead, getting kills from sophomore Jada Stotts and junior Hillary Plybon plus a service ace from Nikki Doyle to win a 25-23 decision.

The fifth set was closely fought with six ties, but Austin Peay could gain a lead beyond winning the opening point. The Lady Govs were able to force a 10-10 tie, but Eastern Illinois scored five of the match’s final six points to secure the win.

Senior Nikki Doyle led Austin Peay with 25 kills, her third consecutive 20-kill performance. Sophomore Jada Stotts and junior Hillary Plybon each added 13 kills. The Lady Govs recorded 65 kills but were held to a .232 attack percentage.

Austin Peay continues its four-match road trip with a 6:00pm, Tuesday contest at Belmont.