Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team senior outside hitter Jenna Panning rose to the occasion on Senior Day, scoring a career-high 21 kills to lead the Governors in a five-set (25-22, 21-25, 23-25, 25-16, 15-9) Ohio Valley Conference victory against SIU Edwardsville, Saturday, at the Dunn Center.
Trailing 2-1 in the match, Austin Peay State University (9-17, 7-5 OVC) took control of the fourth set thanks to freshman Tegan Seyring, whose four-kill outburst provided the bulk of the scoring in a 7-2 run that gave Austin Peay State University an 11-6 lead. The Govs would nurse that five-point advantage until the closing moments when Seyring’s fifth kill of the set off a 3-0 Govs run that pushed the lead to seven points en route to the match-leveling win.
Seyring was again involved as the Govs rallied from a 4-3 deficit in the fifth set. Her first kill gave the Govs a 5-4 lead and her second capped a 6-0 run that proved to be the match-winning run. She would tack on her third and fourth kills later in the set, helping to secure the win.
SIUE (11-13, 6-6 OVC) recovered from an opening set that saw its defense unable to stop the Austin Peay State University offense, which racked up 18 kills to get out to a 1-0 lead. The Cougars used six blocks in the second set to stymie the APSU Govs offense in a back-and-forth affair that featured nine ties and five lead changes. In the third, SIUE rallied from a 10-3 deficit, tying the set at 18-18. The teams traded points to 22-22 before SIU Edwardsville won three of the last four to claim a 2-1 match lead.
Panning’s 21-kill performance was the fourth 20-kill outing by a Governors hitter this season. She did her best work in the first and third sets, opening the match with six kills before a seven-kill effort in the third. Seyring finished with 10 kills, posting five in the fourth and four in the fifth set. Junior Chloe Stitt added 18 kills as APSU outhit SIUE, 72-59.
Rachel McDonald led SIUE with a 13-kill, 15-dig double-double performance. Hope Everett and Gabby Wimes chipped in 12 kills each. The Cougars finished the match with 16 blocks, Everett leading the defensive effort with seven stops.
Next Up For APSU Volleyball
The Austin Peay State University Volleyball team, which finishes the day alone in fifth place, returns to action with a 6:00pm, Thursday, November 7th contest at league co-leader Southeast Missouri.
