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HomeSportsAPSU Beach Volleyball makes program’s first Conference Championship appearance

APSU Beach Volleyball makes program’s first Conference Championship appearance

APSU Sports Information 

APSU Women's VolleyballMacon, GA – In its first season as a member of the ASUN Conference, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) beach volleyball team will head to the ASUN Beach Championship to play in a conference tournament for the first time in the program’s three-year history.

Austin Peay Beach Volleyball head to Macon Georgia for the ASUN Beach Championship. (APSU Sports Information)
Austin Peay Beach Volleyball head to Macon Georgia for the ASUN Beach Championship. (APSU Sports Information)

The Governors earned the No. 5 seed and will face the fourth-seeded Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in a 7:30am CT, Thursday, April 18th, 2019 matchup to kick off the competition at the ASUN Championship, hosted by Stetson in DeLand, Florida.

Austin Peay and Coastal Carolina faced off two weeks ago, with the Chanticleers taking two matches from the Govs in Conway, South Carolina.

The ASUN Championship is a double-elimination proceeding, with the winner of the first match set to face off against top-seeded Stetson. All matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.

“I’m so proud of the girls and excited they get to continue playing this season,” head coach Taylor Mott said. “We’ve played some incredibly talented teams this season, and this gives us an opportunity to play more top-level competition and continue to grow as a team and a program.”

Coastal Carolina secured the top spot in the North Division – which the Governors compete in – with an 8-0 conference record and earned an automatic bid, while South Division-leader Stetson earned the other automatic berth. The other four teams were selected as at-large participants.

Austin Peay, North Alabama and Morehead State of the North Division all finished 4-4 in ASUN play and split matches against each other. APSU and UNA made the field as the final two at-large selections, with the deciding factors coming  down to win/loss record, strength of schedule, head-to-head competition, common opponents and significant wins and losses. The Governors faced four nationally-ranked opponents, including two duals against Georgia State.

The Govs ended the regular season with a 15-13 overall record. It is the first time in program history the Govs ended the regular season with a winning record, and the 15 victories are four more than the previous program best set last season.

The Govs were led this season by the pairing of Jenna Panning and Haley Turner, who finished the regular season with a 14-7 record together, including a 9-3 record as the No. 1 pairing.

The pair opened ASUN play with four straight victories at the No. 2 and 3 pairings, and were rewarded with a bump to the No. 1 pair where they excelled. They also paced the team in individual victories, as both finished with 18-10 individual records.

For fifth-year transfer Ciera Koons, the ASUN Championship offers an opportunity to continue her Governor career. She was honored this weekend for Senior Day as the lone Gov without remaining eligibility. She joined forces with Brooke Moore in ASUN play and the duo have won 11 of their last 15 matches, taking over the No. 2 pairing in the final week of the season.

The Governors head to DeLand for practice Wednesday afternoon. Stay tuned to LetsGoPeay.com and @AustinPeayBVB on Twitter for updates throughout the tournament.

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