Brentwood, TN – Austin Peay State University’s (APSU) Marlayna Bullington has been named the Ohio Valley Conference Beach Volleyball Freshman of the Year and an All-Freshman team selection. Senior Jenna Panning and junior Brooke Moore have also named a First Team All-OVC pairing, while Bullington and sophomore Aysha Hood were named a Second Team All-OVC pairing, the league announced Wednesday.
After missing the first six matches of the season, Bullington returned to the Austin Peay State University lineup and promptly won five times in the season’s final eight matches.
Bullington, whose true freshman season was cut short by the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, won a pair of matches in the No. 2 position and won three times in the No. 1 pairing for the Govs.
The First Team All-OVC pairing of Panning and Moore led the Governors with an 11-3 record this season. The duo posted five wins while playing as the Govs No. 1 pairing and went a perfect 6-0 while playing as the No. 2 pairing. As one of the first Governors to play a full four-year beach volleyball career at APSU, Panning is the program’s all-time winningest player with 48 career wins on the sand.
Receiving Second Team All-OVC honors, the duo of Bullington and Hood posted a 5-3 record this season. The freshman-sophomore combo won three wins as the Governors No. 1 pairing and were a perfect 2-0 as the No. 2 pairing.
After a slow start to the season, Austin Peay State University went 5-2 during the second half of the regular season and earned the No. 4 seed in the inaugural OVC Beach Volleyball Championship. The Governors kickoff the OVC Beach Volleyball Tournament with a 1:00pm, Thursday, match against No. 5 seed Jacksonville State at the Skyhawk Beach Volley Complex in Martin, Tennessee. The winner of the opening match between the APSU Govs and Gamecocks will then play a 5:00pm, Thursday, match against top-seeded Morehead State.
For more information on the OVC Beach Volleyball Championship, visit the OVC Championship’s homepage (https://bit.ly/3gEGaJN) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com. For scores, news, and schedule updates, follow Austin Peay Beach Volleyball on Twitter (@AustinPeayBVB).
2021 OVC Beach Volleyball All-Conference Honors
All-OVC First Team
Hannah Keating & Allison Whitten, Morehead State
Jenna Panning & Brooke Moore, Austin Peay
Baylee Young & Jordan Krege, Chattanooga
Haeleigh Paulino & Logan Wallick, UT Martin
Olivia Lohmeier & Trinity Miller, Morehead State
All-OVC Second Team
Aysha Hood & Marlayna Bullington, Austin Peay
Gylian Finch & Bailey Steger, Chattanooga
Kayla Carrell & Karen Scanlon, UT Martin
Margaret Musselman & Anya Reinhardt, Morehead State
Kayle Milton & Kylee Quigley, Jacksonville State
All-Freshman Team
Marlayna Bullington, Austin Peay
Trinity Miller, Morehead State
Jordan Krege, Chattanooga
Abby Ashway, Chattanooga
Anya Reinhardt, Morehead State
Pair of the Year: Hannah Keating & Allison Whitten, Morehead State
Player of the Year: Hannah Keating, Morehead State
Freshman of the Year: Marlayna Bullington, Austin Peay
Co-Coaching Staff of the Year: Chattanooga; UT Martin
