Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team closes its 2019 regular season schedule with a pair of contests this week. The Govs, who are tied for fifth in the OVC race, will travel to fourth-place Murray State for a 6:00pm, Wednesday, November 13th contest.
APSU then hosts 10th-place Eastern Kentucky in a 2:00pm, Saturday, November 16th match that concludes the regular season.
If the season ended today, Austin Peay State University would be the fifth-seed in next weekend’s OVC Championship tournament. The Govs are two wins behind fourth-place Murray State.
However, Austin Peay State University is only one win ahead of Tennessee Tech and UT Martin, who are tied for seventh. The host for the 2019 OVC Volleyball Championship tournament has not been decided entering the week with four teams vying for the league’s top spot.
From The Serve
Freshman Tegan Seyring has found her stride in the Govs last three matches, with 45 kills (3.46/set) and a .357 attack percentage. She set her career high in kills in consecutive matches last week, scoring 17 kills at Southeast Missouri followed by 18 kills at UT Martin.
Junior Brooke Moore covered all the milestones last week. She recorded her 1,000th career dig at Southeast Missouri, Thursday. The next day she notched her 1,000th career kill at UT Martin and also became the eighth Govs player to join the Double Grand Club (1,000 kills and digs).
Senior Ginny Gerig Busse continues to lead the OVC in digs. She is averaging 5.52 digs per set in OVC action and her 309 digs are nearly 40 more than any other defender. She ranks 47th among Division I defenders with 4.85 digs per set for the season.
The Govs victory against Texas Tech, September 7th, was their fourth win against a Power Five opponent during head coach Taylor Mott‘s tenure. It is the third consecutive year Austin Peay State University has downed a Power Five foe.
Austin Peay State University played its first 16 contests on the road, the longest road trip in program history. The Govs covered a total of 4,656 miles before their home opener, October 4th, against Southeast Missouri.
While Austin Peay State University is the back-to-back defending Ohio Valley Conference champion, it has had a largely new look in 2019 as it lost its top outside hitter, primary setter and top middle blocker to graduation.
Upcoming Opponents
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| Murray State 16-10 (10-4 OVC) Murray, KY Roster Schedule Stats |
Eastern Kentucky 9-19 (4-10 OVC) Richmond, KY Roster Schedule Stats |
| Murray State (16-10, 10-4 OVC) enters the final week one win out of the league’s tie atop the standings and will look to move into that group with contests against the Govs and co-leader Morehead State.
The Racers downed co-leader Southeast Missouri, Friday, but fell to UT Martin, Saturday, to set the scene for their final week. Senior Rachel Giustino has powered Murray State in league play, averaging an impressive 5.27 kills per set and has 26 more kills than the league’s second-leading hitter. Defensively, junior Becca Fernandez (5.33 digs per set) trails APSU’s Gerig Busse (5.52 digs per set) for the league’s top spot.. |
Eastern Kentucky (9-19, 4-10 OVC) enters the week knowing it will not qualify for next week’s OVC Championship tournament.
The Colonels were eliminated following losses to Jacksonville State and Tennessee Tech last weekend. Freshman Abby Noll has led the Colonels in league play this season, averaging 4.27 kills per set more than a third of her team’s total kills. Defensively, senior Dena Tekavec is ranked third in digs (5.04 digs per set) behind Gerig Busse and Fernandez.. |
