47.8 F
Clarksville
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeSportsAPSU Lady Govs Volleyball hosts Murray State, Eastern Kentucky to finish regular...

APSU Lady Govs Volleyball hosts Murray State, Eastern Kentucky to finish regular season

APSU Sports Information

Austin Peay State University Lady Govs - APSUClarksville, TN – Riding a three-match win streak for the first time this season, Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team will bring its regular-season slate to an end with a pair of Ohio Valley Conference matches.

First, the Lady Govs will host Murray State in a 7:00pm, Wednesday contest. Austin Peay then concludes its season with a 2:00pm, Saturday matchup with Eastern Kentucky.

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

Austin Peay (9-21, 3-11 OVC) has continued its flair for the dramatic during the win streak.

The Lady Govs won back-to-back five-set decisions to open the streak and improved to 5-3 this season when going the distance.

Austin Peay’s most recent victory saw it lose the opening set, but rally to down UT Martin in four sets, only the second time this season it has accomplished that feat.

“We may not be winning easy but I was impressed with the fight we showed last week,” said Lady Govs head coach Taylor Mott. “The UT Martin match was a big step for us. We closed out a match and didn’t allow our opponent to rally and tie the set. With these next two matches we need to keep fighting and end the regular season on a strong run.”

During the win streak, Austin Peay has seen several players step up at key moments. Sophomore Kelly Ferguson led the way with 33 kills (2.54 per set) during last week’s action, including a career-high 15 kills against Southeast Missouri, Friday.

Ferguson wasn’t the only player to notch a career-best last week. Junior Sammie Ebright tied her career-high with 16 kills against UT Martin, freshman Cecily Gable had a career-high 15 kills at Alabama A&M and junior Peyton Walker had a career-high 13 kills against UT Martin.

“Everyone has chipped in with some of their best performances this season,” said Mott. “It’s been encouraging to see our younger players get on the court and put everything out there. It’s a good starting point for this week with tough competition ahead.”

About Murray State (23-2, 13-1 OVC)

Murray State RacersMurray State has clinched at least a share of the OVC regular-season title and will visit Clarksville seeking to claim the title outright. The Racers bring a four-match win streak into Wednesday’s matchup, but their two losses have been in road affairs.

Junior Scottie Ingram paces the MSU offense with 4.21 kills per set in OVC play, second among league hitters. Senior Sam Bedard leads the league with 11.81 assists per OVC set while junior Ellie Lorenz sets the tone defensively with 4.42 digs per set in league action (third in OVC).

Series History: Murray State’s three-set win earlier this year gave it back-to-back wins in the series for the first time since the 2008-09 seasons. Austin Peay has won the last six matchups at the Dunn Center, dating back to the 2008 season. Overall, Austin Peay holds a 37-33 advantage all-time in the series.

About Eastern Kentucky (9-20, 8-6 OVC)

Eastern Kentucky ColonelsEastern Kentucky won its last outing – a five set affair against SIU Edwardsville – but is 2-3 in its last five matches. The Colonels have struggled on the road this season, posting a 3-9 mark in 2015. Eastern Kentucky features a balanced offensive attack, with no individual ranked among the OVC’s top 10 in kills or attack percentage.

Sophomore Celina Sanks has led the EKU offense in conference play with 154 kills (2.96 per set).

Series History: Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky have split the last four matches in the series with the home team winning each affair. The Colonels won a five-set contest in Richmond last season in the only meeting between the two teams. Austin Peay has won the last two meetings in Clarksville to give it a 10-8 edge in matches at the Dunn Center all time.

Catch It Live

Both matches will be available on the OVC Digital Network, available free on any digital device. In addition, live statistics will be available on www.PeayStats.com

RELATED ARTICLES

Latest Articles