Austin Peay Sports Information
Murray, KY – Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team could not overcome a slow start in a three-set (16-25, 21-25, 25-27) loss to Ohio Valley Conference leader Murray State, Wednesday, at Racer Arena.
The Lady Govs were held to nine kills in the opening set and seven kills in the second set. Austin Peay committed 11 attack errors in those two set and entered the break with a .083 attack percentage.
Meanwhile, Murray State (14-1, 4-0 OVC) posted 15 kills in each of those two sets. The Racers had just three attack errors in the first set (.353 attack percentage) in a near wire-to-wire win. Murray State had seven attack errors in the second set and used a .229 attack percentage to win wire-to-wire.
The Lady Govs offense found its stride in the third set, posting 15 kills. Samantha Strother and Kelly Ferguson each had for two kills midway through the set to help Austin Peay build a five-point, 21-16, advantage. The Lady Govs would get to set point first, 24-23, but could not capitalize. Four points later, Murray State scored on its second match-point chance to end the contest.
Ferguson had six kills and four blocks to lead Austin Peay. Strother and Cecily Gable each had a team-best eight kills.
Inside the Box Score
Freshman Cecily Gable and senior Samantha Strother each had eight kills to pace the Lady Govs 31-kill attack.
Defensively, Austin Peay recorded 45 digs with libero April Adams (15 digs) and Sammie Ebright (11) leading the effort.
“This was by far our best offensive and defensive effort to date. Our effort and energy were on point. When you keep in mind how young we are you could see we are only get better,” said APSU Volleyball head coach Taylor Mott.
Scottie Ingram finished with a match-best 14 kills, one of three Murray State hitters to reach double-digit kill territory.
Austin Peay begins a four-match homestand when it hosts SIU Edwardsville in a 7:00pm, Friday contest at the Dunn Center.
Box Score
Austin Peay (5-14, 0-4 OVC) -VS- Murray State (14-1, 4-0 OVC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Peay | 16 | 21 | 25 |
| Murray State | 25 | 25 | 27 |
Match Details
| Set | Austin Peay | Murray State | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | E | TA | % | K | E | TA | % | |
| 1 | 9 | 6 | 30 | .100 | 15 | 3 | 34 | .353 |
| 2 | 7 | 5 | 30 | .067 | 15 | 7 | 35 | .229 |
| 3 | 15 | 3 | 36 | .333 | 21 | 7 | 51 | .275 |
| 31 | 14 | 96 | .177 | 51 | 17 | 120 | .283 | |
Game Leaders
Austin Peay
| Statistic | Leaders |
|---|---|
| Kills | STROTHER, Samantha (8), GABLE, Cecily (8), FERGUSON, Kelly (6) |
| Aces | STROTHER, Samantha (1), FERGUSON, Kelly (1) |
| Blocks | FERGUSON, Kelly (4), MARSELLIS, Aubrey (1), TAFF, Kaylee (1) |
| Assists | MARSELLIS, Aubrey (15), STUCKER, Kristen (14), SLAY, Ashley (1) |
| Digs | ADAMS, April (15), EBRIGHT, Sammie (11), STUCKER, Kristen (9) |
Murray State
| Statistic | Leaders |
|---|---|
| Kills | Ingram, Scottie (14), Lelm, Alyssa (13), Besselsen, Kristen (11) |
| Aces | Lelm, Alyssa (2), Bedard, Sam (1), Ingram, Scottie (1) |
| Blocks | Lelm, Alyssa (3), Chatman, Olivia (3), Olden, Taylor (2) |
| Assists | Bedard, Sam (45), Besselsen, Kristen (2), Ingram, Scottie (1) |
| Digs | Lorenz, Ellie (14), Bedard, Sam (11), Besselsen, Kristen (7) |
