Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team continues its season-opening road trip when it heads north for the NU Under Armour Challenge hosted by Northwestern, Friday-Saturday, in Evanston, Illinois.
The Governors will face host Northwestern in the tourney’s opening match, a 10:30am (CT), Friday contest that can be seen on Big Ten Network Plus, a digital network offering.
Austin Peay then meets Stephen F. Austin in a 5:00pm, Friday contest to close out its first day of action.
Austin Peay State University then returns to the court for a 1:00pm, Saturday matchup against Texas Tech that will end its stay in the Chicagoland area.
From The Serve
Austin Peay State University has downed a Power Five opponent in each of the last two seasons (Ole Miss in 2018, Missouri in 2017).
APSU will face the two of its six power five opponents while in the Chicagoland area, squaring off against host Northwestern out of the Big Ten Conference before meeting Big 12 foe Texas Tech, Saturday.
Ginny Gerig Busse was named the OVC Defensive Player Of The Week and was named to the Wolfpack Invitational all-tourney team after averaging 4.9 digs per set and going errorless on serve receive (41 attempts). Gerig Busse was a 2019 Preseason All-OVC pick who finished sixth among league defenders with 4.35 digs per set last season.
APSU will play its first 18 contests on the road, the longest road trip in program history. The Govs will cover a total of 4,656 miles before opening the home portion of their schedule, Oct. 4, against Southeast Missouri.
The Govs were picked to finish second in the OVC Preseason Predicted Order of Finish with a pair of Governors named to the 14-woman Preseason All-OVC team.
While Austin Peay is the back-to-back defending Ohio Valley Conference champion, it will have a largely new look in 2019 it lost its top outside hitter, primary setter and top middle blocker to graduation.
Expected to fill the spot left at outside hitter is junior outside hitter Brooke Moore, a 2019 Preseason All-OVC pick and the 2017 OVC Tournament MVP. She has posted 659 kills in her first two seasons at Austin Peay.
In the back row, senior libero Ginny Gerig Busse also was a 2019 Preseason All-OVC pick who finished sixth among league defenders with 4.35 digs per set last season. She enters 2019 with 1,436 career digs (4.00 per set).
Another Govs hitter to keep an eye on is senior Jenna Panning who took a big step forward last season, nearly doubling her offensive output. She finished the season with 247 kills and a team-best .252 attack percentage.
At the all-important setter spot, Austin Peay has three student-athletes seeking an opportunity to begin the season. Senior MiMi Arrington and junior Caroline Waite return after spending 2019 as Stucker’s understudies. The Govs also added freshman Kelsey Mead to solidify the position’s future.
The situation is much the same at middle blocker with three Govs entering the year vying for time. Sophomore Karli Graham returns while sophomore Aysha Hood joins the team after a year at VCU. That pair is joined by freshman Kendall Poach, who has shown promise in the preseason.
Scanning The Field
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| Northwestern 3-0 (0-0 Big Ten) Evanston, IL Roster Schedule Stats |
Stephen F. Austin 3-0 (0-0 Southland) Nacogdoches, TX Roster Schedule Stats |
Texas Tech 3-0 (0-0 Big 12) Lubbock, TX Roster Schedule Stats |
| Northwestern (3-0) opened its season by winning the Miami (Ohio) Invitational, sweeping USC Upstate and Virginia Tech before winning a four-setter against host Miami.
Junior outside hitter Nia Robinson was the tourney MVP after averaging 4.5 kills per set with a .245 attack percentage. NU was picked to finish 12th in the Big Ten Preseason Poll.First meeting between the Govs and Wildcats. |
Stephen F. Austin (3-0) opened 2019 by winning the SMU Invitational, defeating UTSA, Bradley and SMU.
Senior setter Ann Hollis posted a triple-double (13 kills, 24 assists, 10 digs) against host SMU to earn tournament “MVP” honors. The Lady Jacks were the preseason favorite in the Southland Conference after winning 32 matches a year ago. |
Texas Tech (3-0) won the Sports Imports Classic with victories against VCU, host Ohio State and Lehigh.
Senior outside hitter Emily Hill was named tourney MVP and was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after posting 66 kills and a .384 attack percentage in Columbus, Ohio. TTU was picked eighth in the Big 12 preseason poll. |
