Cambridge, MA – Libero Erin Eisenhart scored six service aces in the opening two sets and the Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team rolled to a three-set victory (25-10, 25-9, 25-16) against Merrimack, Friday afternoon, in the opening match of the Harvard Invitational at Malkin Athletic Center.
The APSU Govs dominated the second set as well, winning wire-to-wire thanks to five Brooke Moore kills. Austin Peay State University then largely rested its primary group in the third set and used a 20-kill effort to complete the sweep.
Austin Peay State University recorded 46 kills and a .452 team attack percentage – the fourth-best single-match attack percentage in program history. Moore led the offense with a 10-kill, .769 attack percentage performance in just two sets. Jaida Clark chipped in a 7-kill, .875 attack percentage effort.
Merrimack was held to 17 kills and a .028 team attack percentage. Brooke Leestma led the Warriors with five kills but was charged with six attack errors.
Austin Peay vs. Merrimack Set-by-Set Recap
Set 1
Merrimack opened the match with the serve but committed a service error to start the APSU Govs off. Eisenhart the posted two aces in a span of three serves before a block by Mikayla Powell and Karli Graham forced a timeout at 6-0. The Powell-Graham duo notched another block after the time out, and Eisenhart posted her third ace to get the Govs to 8-0 and they would look back. Moore finished the match with back-to-back-to-back kills to secure the frame.
Set 2
Runs of 4-0, 5-0, 6-0, and 5-0 were enough to help the Govs win wire-to-wire in just a single rotation through the lineup. The offense did the damage with 14 kills: Moore posting five, Powell adding three with Aysha Hood, and Maggie Keenan adding two each.
Set 3
The Govs put five of their starting six on the bench for the third. The changes slowed the Govs initially with seven ties and two lead changes being the result. But Austin Peay State University took the lead for good at 8-7 on a Marlayna Bullington kill. Bullington then served up a 7-0 run, which included three kills from Clark and two from Elizabeth Wheat, to get to set point. Wheat then delivered the match-winning point.
Box Score
Austin Peay 3, Merrimack 0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
| Austin Peay | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Merrimack | 10 | 9 | 16 | 0 |
Next Up for Austin Peay State University Volleyball
The Austin Peay State University volleyball team continues its first-ever trip in Massachusetts with matches against host Harvard and Marist, beginning at noon, Saturday.
