APSU Lady Govs Volleyball travels to Ohio for Akron Invitational

Clarksville, TN – Fresh off its season’s first victory, Austin Peay State University volleyball team treks further northward to compete in the Akron Invitational, Friday-Saturday, at the James Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio.

Austin Peay (1-3) begins the tournament bright and early with a 9:00am, Friday contest against Drake. The Lady Govs then face Binghamton in a 2:00pm, Friday affair. APSU’s Saturday slate begins early again with a 9:00am contest against Bryant followed by a 7:00pm finale against host Akron that can be seen on online video.

The Lady Govs recovered from an ugly opening weekend stay at Clemson’s Big Orange Bash to post a convincing victory at Evansville, Tuesday. Austin Peay’s offense showed particular improvement, with a season-best 55 kills and a .231 attack percentage against the Purple Aces. The defense also moved a step forward, posting nine blocks and holding Evansville to a .167 attack percentage – the lowest percentage by an opponent this season.

“We showed some improvement at Evansville in all aspects of our game,” said Lady Govs head coach Taylor Mott. “However, we still have to keep working to reduce our attacking errors and improving our block totals. I am excited to see us get back on the floor this weekend and for the opportunity for us to get better as a team.”

Lady Govs to Watch

Junior outside hitter Sammie Ebright broke out with a 13-kill performance at Evansville, Tuesday, after being held to just six kills during APSU’s stay at Clemson.

Austin Peay’s block party arrived at Evansville with the team posting nine blocks in the four-set affair. The Lady Govs scored just four blocks in the three-match Clemson tournament. Senior middle blocker Hillary Plybon has had a hand in nine of APSU’s 13 blocks this season.

Scouting the Opposition

Drake (3-1): The Bulldogs opened the season with three straight five-set wins at the Omaha Classic, last weekend, before dropping its home opener to North Dakota in three sets, Tuesday. Freshman outside hitter Kyla Inderski leads Drake with 57 kills (3.17 kills per set) and a .234 attack percentage through four matches. The Bulldogs are hitting .167 as a team and averaging 11.61 kills per set.

Binghamton (0-3): The Bearcats where held winless at the Loyola Marymount Invitation last weekend with losses to UCLA, Loyola Marymount and LIU Brooklyn. It was a rough weekend for the Binghamton offense, which was held to a .120 attack percentage while averaging just 9.22 kills per set. Senior outside hitter Allison Hovie leads that offensive effort with 22 kills (2.44 per set).

Bryant (2-3): The Bulldogs posted a 1-3 record in their home tournament to start the season, last weekend, before sweeping Providence in a Tuesday home contest. Senior outside hitter Elena Lohr leads the Bryant offense with 52 kills (3.06 kills per set) while freshman middle blocker Alexandra Lunsford has 21 blocks (1.24 blocks per set) in those opening five matches. As a team, Bryant is hitting .140 while averaging 10.76 kills per set.

Akron (2-2): The Zips opened their season with a 2-1 mark at the Indiana State Tournament, defeating Chicago State and North Carolina A&T, then suffered a sweep at Cleveland State, Tuesday, to level their season record. Akron’s offense has averaging 10.69 kills per set while hitting .130. Sophomore outside hitter Julia Smagacz (27 kills, 2.25 kills per set) is one of three Zips players averaging more than two kills per set after four matches.

Team Comparison

 

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