Murfreesboro, TN – Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball head coach Taylor Mott made the most of her team’s exhibition contest at Middle Tennessee, Thursday, putting all 18 available athletes on the court and picking up a five-set victory (19-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 15-12).
Serving played a large part in the outcome with host Middle Tennessee finishing with 22 errors on 103 serve attempts.
Austin Peay State University was far more efficient with its serve, posting only five errors on 107 serve attempts while scoring nine service aces.
The Governors offense posted 49 kills with Claire Darland’s eight kills leading an effort that saw 12 different hitters finish with a kill. The defense finished with 70 digs, led by libero Erin Eisenhart’s 13 digs in three sets.
Middle Tennessee saw Samira Lawson Body score 17 kills in five sets and finished with 64 kills and a .263 attack percentage. The Blue Raiders also posted 72 digs with libero Marley Banton’s 20 digs in five sets leading the way.
APSU Notes and Notables
Darland finished errorless on offense with eight kills on 12 swings. She had a big hand in the APSU Govs’ Set 2 victory with seven kills on eight attempts while adding a service ace and assisting on a block.
Jaida Clark’s five kills on eight attempts led Austin Peay State University’s Set 4 win while middle blocker Karli Graham added three kills and two blocks. The APSU defense also found its form, holding MTSU to a .098 attack percentage with three blocks (all against Urte Neimantaite).
The fifth set went down to the wire with Middle Tennessee committing three straight errors after tying the set at 10-10 to give the APSU Govs some much-needed breathing space. Freshman Elizabeth Wheat finished the match with her third kill of the contest.
Junior college transfer Mikayla Powell impressed with seven kills in her three sets of action, finishing with a .375 attack percentage. Freshman Jaida Clark also had seven kills in the victory.
Austin Peay State University utilized all three of its setters in the match. Graduate Caroline Waite led the group with 17 assists in three sets, junior Kelsey Mead posted 15 assists in four sets and sophomore Janvier Buggs added 11 assists in three sets.
Next Up for APSU Volleyball
Austin Peay State University women’s volleyball opens its regular-season slate in seven days when it meets Alabama and Miami (Ohio) in back-to-back matches at the Marshall Invitational, Friday, August 27th. The APSU Govs face host Marshall in a Saturday match to end the opening weekend.
