Austin Peay Sports Information Office
Knoxville, TN – Behind the duo of senior Jada Stotts and freshman Ashley Slay, Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team posted a three-set victory (25-18, 25-17, 25-23) against Tennessee, Thursday night, in the opening match of the DISH Lady Vol Classic at Thompson Boling Arena.
It is Austin Peay’s first-ever volleyball win against Tennessee.
However, the Lady Govs countered with six consecutive points to build a 12-8 lead it would not relinquish en route to the 25-18 win.
Austin Peay’s offense chugged away in that opening set, recording 15 kills against just two errors for an impressive .433 mark.
However, Austin Peay’s offense found a higher gear in the second set. The Lady Govs scored the set’s first four points and broke out to an 8-3 lead thanks to six kills by six different players.
Tennessee could get no closer than four points the rest of the way as Austin Peay posted the 25-17 victory. After its impressive first set effort, APSU recorded 14 kills in the second set while committing just one attack error for an incredible .565 attack percentage.
Tennessee (5-6) came out of the break determined to avoid a repeat of the first two sets. Austin Peay did open with a 4-1 run, but could not extend its lead.
The Lady Vols reeled the Lady Govs back in slowly, eventually tying the set at 12-12. That set off a flurry of 10 ties and two lead changes over the next 20 points.
Austin Peay finally gained a crucial two-point advantage at 24-22 after a Tennessee service error was followed by Stotts’ final kill on the night. The two teams traded service errors after with APSU surviving for a 25-23 victory.
“What an incredible effort by this team,” said Lady Govs head coach Taylor Mott. “Tonight is proof this can be a simple game. We had only eight attack errors and posted seven blocks. Jada and Ashley had the big numbers but it was about everyone playing as a team and doing their job.”
Austin Peay registered 46 kills in the contest. The Lady Govs .384 attack percentage is its 12th best mark all-time and best mark since the 2012 season. Austin Peay also recorded seven blocks in the win.
Jimenez led Tennessee with 13 kills and a .414 attack percentage. The Lady Vols recorded 41 kills at a .262 attack percentage but could not keep pace with the Lady Govs.
Austin Peay will have a short night to celebrate its victory. The Lady Govs return to action bright and early with a 9:00am (CT), Friday contest against Montana State followed by a 4:00pm outing against Mercer.
Box Score
Austin Peay 3 vs Tennessee 0
| Set Scores | 1 | 2 | 3 | Team Records | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | (0) | 18 | 17 | 23 | 5-6 |
| Austin Peay | (3) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 4-9 |
Austin Peay (4-9)
| ## | Player | SP | K | E | TA | PCT | A | E | SA | SE | RE | DIG | BS | BA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | EBRIGHT, Sammie | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | .273 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 |
| 6 | SLAY, Ashley | 3 | 12 | 1 | 17 | .647 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 14.5 |
| 7 | MARSELLIS, Aubrey | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | .429 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7.0 |
| 10 | STROTHER, Samantha | 3 | 5 | 0 | 19 | .263 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6.5 |
| 14 | STOTTS, Jada | 3 | 17 | 3 | 33 | .424 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 18.5 |
| 15 | PLYBON, Hillary | 3 | 5 | 3 | 12 | .167 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5.5 |
| 3 | ADAMS, April | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 |
| Totals | 21 | 46 | 8 | 99 | .384 | 41 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 47 | 1 | 12 | 56.0 |
| Team Attack By Set | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set | K | E | TA | Pct |
| 1 | 15 | 2 | 30 | .433 |
| 2 | 14 | 1 | 23 | .565 |
| 3 | 17 | 5 | 46 | .261 |
| Total Team Blocks: 7.0 |
| LEADERS:Kills-Aces-Blocks: STOTTS, Jada (17-1-1); SLAY, Ashley (12-0-5); STROTHER, Samantha (5-1-1); PLYBON, Hillary (5-0-1); MARSELLIS, Aubrey (4-0-5); EBRIGHT, Sammie (3-0-0)Assists: MARSELLIS, Aubrey (35); EBRIGHT, Sammie (3); STROTHER, Samantha (2); ADAMS, April (1)
Digs: EBRIGHT, Sammie (16); ADAMS, April (11); STOTTS, Jada (10); STROTHER, Samantha (5); MARSELLIS, Aubrey (2); PLYBON, Hillary (2); SLAY, Ashley (1) |
Tennessee (5-6)
| ## | Player | SP | K | E | TA | PCT | A | E | SA | SE | RE | DIG | BS | BA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Lea | 3 | 7 | 5 | 21 | .095 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7.5 |
| 4 | Lexi Dempsey | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 |
| 6 | Shealyn Kolosky | 3 | 5 | 0 | 11 | .455 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6.5 |
| 12 | Iesha Bryant | 3 | 6 | 2 | 10 | .400 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7.0 |
| 13 | Kanisha Jimenez | 3 | 13 | 1 | 29 | .414 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 13.5 |
| 44 | Ashley Mariani | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | -.100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 |
| 8 | Bridgette Villano | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 11 | Taylor Johnson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 14 | Kendra Turner | 3 | 5 | 2 | 14 | .214 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5.5 |
| 16 | Claudia Coco | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 18 | Megan Hatcher | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 22 | Kelsey Bawcombe | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | .333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 |
| Totals | 29 | 41 | 13 | 107 | .262 | 39 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 41 | 1 | 6 | 46.0 |
| Team Attack By Set | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set | K | E | TA | Pct |
| 1 | 13 | 5 | 26 | .308 |
| 2 | 12 | 6 | 37 | .162 |
| 3 | 16 | 2 | 44 | .318 |
| Total Team Blocks: 4.0 |
| LEADERS: Kills-Aces-Blocks:Kanisha Jimenez (13-0-1); Jamie Lea (7-0-1); Iesha Bryant (6-0-2); Shealyn Kolosky (5-0-2); Kendra Turner (5-0-1); Kelsey Bawcombe (3-0-0); Ashley Mariani (2-0-0)Assists:Lexi Dempsey (26); Taylor Johnson (10); Bridgette Villano (2); Claudia Coco (1)Digs: Kanisha Jimenez (11); Megan Hatcher (7); Lexi Dempsey (6); Bridgette Villano (5); Claudia Coco (4); Jamie Lea (3); Kelsey Bawcombe (3); Iesha Bryant (1); Taylor Johnson (1) |
