Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s volleyball team will get its first opportunity to face a team in a different color uniform when it travels to Middle Tennessee for a 1:00pm, Thursday exhibition contest at Alumni Memorial Gymnasium.
Six newcomers joined a group of 13 returnees providing APSU head coach Taylor Mott a sizeable 19-woman squad for the upcoming fall campaign.
“We’re looking forward to this exhibition to see where we stand against a quality opponent in Middle Tennessee,” said Mott. “We’re at the halfway point in the preseason and we’ve seen good results in practice and we have made good progress. But until you match up against another team it’s hard to determine where you truly need to make improvement.”
Graduate student and outside hitter Brooke Moore headlines the group after earning Preseason All-OVC recognition for the fourth time in her career. APSU also benefits from the return of setter Caroline Waite, who also is a graduate student.
Three seniors also dot the roster in outside hitter Aysha Hood, middle blocker Claire Darland and middle blocker Karli Graham. Tegan Seyring is the APSU Govs second-ranked returning hitter behind Moore while Graham and Darland ranked first and second on the team in blocks.
Austin Peay State University lost just one member of last season’s team – right side hitter Chloe Stitt, who earned All-OVC recognition after leading the APSU Govs with 174 kills and a .239 attack percentage in the spring.
Middle Tennessee also returns the bulk of a team that qualified for the Conference USA tournament last season. CUSA All-Freshman selection Amelia Van Der Werff departed but the Blue Raiders look to Samira Lawson Body and Kayla Henley to continue their improvement last spring. Lawson Body was MT’s leading hitter last season (161 kills) while Henley was third on the team (150 kills).
