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HomeSportsAshley Slay powers APSU Volleyball in sweep of UT Martin Skyhawks

Ashley Slay powers APSU Volleyball in sweep of UT Martin Skyhawks

APSU Sports Information

APSU Women's Volleyball - Austin Peay State UniversityMartin, TN – Junior Ashley Slay finished with a match-best 16 kills, leading Austin Peay State University’s volleyball team to a three-set (25-18, 25-22, 25-18) Ohio Valley Conference victory against UT Martin, Friday night at Skyhawk Fieldhouse.

Austin Peay junior Ashley Slay has 16 kills in Volleyball's win over UT Martin Friday night. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay junior Ashley Slay has 16 kills in Volleyball’s win over UT Martin Friday night. (APSU Sports Information)

With the win, Austin Peay (20-8, 9-2 OVC) reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since 2010.

The Govs also moved back into a tie for second place in the OVC regular-season race, which has five matches remaining.

Austin Peay is tied with SIU Edwardsville for second place, both teams one win behind Murray State.

The Governors had their hands full in the match’s first two sets, needing late bursts to take control. In the opening set, Austin Peay held a slim one-point lead at 10-18 before closing the set with six straight points and winning 25-18. Slay posted three kills in that set-ending burst, finishing the frame with seven kills.

APSU Volleyball - Kaitlyn TeeterSlay was quieter in the second set, posting just three kills, but teammates Kaitlyn Teeter (five kills) and Christina White (four kills) picked up their pace.

Austin Peay trailed midway through the set, only gaining the lead for good on a 4-0 run helped by a pair of UTM errors. The Govs nursed the resulting three point lead the rest of the way, winning 25-22.

After the break, the Governors raced out to a huge 8-0 lead in the third set, largely thanks to Slay who had four kills in the run, including three straight kills to finish the run. The Skyhawks would get no closer than six points the rest of the match as the Govs cruised to the match-clinching 25-18 win.

Slay’s 16 kills were the second most by a Govs hitter in a three-set match this season and was her ninth consecutive OVC match with double-digit kills. Teeter chipped in an 11-kill performance while hitting .350 for the contest.

Austin Peay opened with 16-efforts in the first and second sets, finishing the match with 44 kills and a .263 attack percentage The Governors also won both ends of the defensive battle, posting a 44-32 edge in digs and a 9-4 margin in blocks.

UT Martin (7-19, 3-8 OVC) was held to 31 kills and a .131 attack percentage. Kelly Lean led UTM with seven kills and a .286 attack percentage.

Inside The Box Score

APSU Volleyball - Ashley SlaySlay Storms Net
Junior Ashley Slay‘s match-best 16 kills highlighted her night, but it was her three blocks that helped her reach another signpost this season. She finished the night with 90 total blocks and moved into a tie for 15th on the Govs single-season list, joining Bobbi Steiff (1988) and Kim Smith (1999). Only eight Govs players have reached the 100-block plateau in a season.

Teeter’s Steady Return
Junior Kaitlyn Teeter‘s return from an upper-body injury at the start of October continued at UT Martin, Friday, as she posted 11 kills and a .350 attack percentage. It was her second double-digit kill outing in five matches since returning to regular action.

October Run
The Govs improved to 9-1 during October with one match remaining. Austin Peay has seen its overall record move from 11-7 to 20-8 during the month as it has kept pace with Murray State and SIUE atop the OVC standings.

Twenty
Austin Peay also reached the 20-win plateau with five regular-season matches remaining. It is the Governors 11th 20-win campaign in program history and first since 2010.

The Governors continue their road trip with a 5:00pm, Saturday contest against Southeast Missouri at Houck Field House in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The match will be Austin Peay’ final regular-season contest this season.

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