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HomeSportsAPSU Lady Govs Volleyball concludes road trip with Morehead State, Murray State

APSU Lady Govs Volleyball concludes road trip with Morehead State, Murray State

Austin Peay Sports Information

Austin Peay State University Lady Govs - APSUClarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team concludes a seven-match road trip with a pair of Kentucky contests. The Lady Govs first meet Morehead State in a 1:00pm (CDT), Saturday contest before a 7:00pm, Wednesday contest at Murray State.

Austin Peay Women's Volleyball. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Women’s Volleyball. (APSU Sports Information)

A shorthanded Austin Peay (5-12, 0-2 OVC) squad had a rough opening weekend with losses at UT Martin and Southeast Missouri.

The Lady Govs made the trip without freshman setter Kristen Stucker (illness), who could return to the lineup in time for the road trip’s end.

“We didn’t start conference play the way we wanted,” said Lady Govs head coach Taylor Mott. “We were missing a key piece of our offense and the adjustment we were required to make left us down a hitter. We should be at full strength going into these next two matches so I expect better performances.”

APSU Logan CargerFreshman outside hitter Logan Carger opened OVC play strongly, posting back-to-back nine-kill performances. She led the Lady Govs offense at UT Martin and her 18 kills and .267 attack percentage were best on the team during the weekend.

Sophomore Ashley Slay and senior Samantha Strother bounced back from their sub-par opener with solid outings at Southeast Missouri. Slay led Austin Peay with 14 kills and a .333 attack percentage while Strother added 13 kills.

“I was pleased with the adjustment we made against Southeast Missouri,” said Mott. “Aubrey got into a good flow in her second match as the primary setter and made good connections with Ashley and Samantha. We weren’t able to stay consistent throughout the match, but showed some positive moments.”

Scouting The Opposition

Morehead State (4-13, 1-2 OVC)

Morehead State EaglesThe Eagles opened OVC play with a five-set victory against Tennessee State but since have suffered back-to-back conference setbacks. Morehead State has pushed six of its first 17 matches the full distance, posting a 3-3 record in five-set affairs.

Freshman outside hitter Merideth Jewell has been impressive in the season’s first six weeks, ranking 33rd nationally with a league-leading 4.22 kills per set. She has recorded 20-plus kills in five matches this season. However, Morehead State’s lone OVC win came on the day Jewell suffered her worst offensive outing – a nine-kill, minus-.106 attack percentage outing against TSU.

Murray State (12-1, 2-0 OVC)

Murray State RacersDefending champion Murray State has gotten off to a hot start in 2015, with only a loss to nationally-ranked Washington blemishing its record through four weeks. The Racers enter the midweek affair with a nine-match win streak after a pair of three-set victories to open OVC play last weekend.

Murray State brings a three-woman attack to the court with Scottie Ingram (156 kills, 3.63 per set) and Kristen Besselsen (143, 3.33) and Taylor Olden (132, 3.07) each averaging more than three kills per set.

Series History

Morehead State: Austin Peay won last season’s meeting in a three-set affair at the Dunn Center. The victory snapped Morehead State’s five-match win streak that dated back to Austin Peay’s 2010 OVC Championship match victory. The Eagles own a 42-28 series lead, including a 23-8 margin in Morehead.

Murray State: Austin Peay and Murray State split their two-match series last season with the home team winning each time in three sets. The Racers win in Murray, Nov. 11, broke Austin Peay’s 10-match win streak in the series. The Lady Govs still own a 37-33 lead in the all-time series, but Murray State holds an 18-12 advantage at Racer Arena.

Three Things to Know

Carger Warming Up: Freshman outside hitter Logan Carger picked a good time to piece together her best hitting performances of the season. Her back-to-back nine kill efforts at UT Martin and Southeast Missouri toped her previous best of eight kills against Southern Miss.

APSU's April AdamsSeeking a Road “W”: Austin Peay seeks an end to its 10-match road losing streak that dates back to a November 7th, 2014 victory at Southeast Missouri. It is tied for longest road losing streak in the league, matched by both Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky.

Digging Adams: Senior libero April Adams continues to make a mark on defense. She enters the weekend ranked nationally in both total digs (72nd, 252) and digs per set (137th, 4.13). The Ashland City, TN product ranks seventh and sixth, respectively, among conference defenders in the two categories.

Catch It Live

Saturday’s Morehead State contest will only be available via live statistics at www.MSUEagles.com . Fans can watch Wednesday’s Murray State contest on the OVC Digital Network, available free on any digital device. In addition, live statistics will be available at www.GoRacers.com

Video

Samantha Strother and the Lady Govs travel to Morehead State, Saturday, to face the Eagles.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcoi1Q0Ab1E[/youtube]

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