Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team continued their dominant start to conference play with its ninth three-set victory (26-24, 25-16, 25-21) of the season over Ohio Valley Conference rival Belmont, Friday, at the Winfield Dunn Center.
Mikayla Powell led the Govs with her 11th-straight match of eight or more kills in an 11-kill, two-block performance where the reigning OVC Newcomer of the Week recorded a .400 hitting percentage for the third time in four matches.
The Govs (16-7, 9-1) and Bruins (8-13, 6-5) battled back and forth in a first set that featured nine lead changes and 19 ties; however, after Jaida Clark’s fifth kill of the set gave APSU the 25-24 lead and forced a Belmont timeout, Maggie Keenan gave the Govs the first set victory with her second kill.
The Govs put together one of their most impressive runs of the season late in a second set that was largely commanded by the Bruins heading into the media timeout.
Trailing 15-12 at the break, kills by Powell and Brooke Moore, followed by a Belmont error evened the score at 15, while Keenan’s first of two solo blocks on the night gave the Govs the advantage and brought a Belmont timeout.
After the two teams traded scores, the Govs ended the set on an 8-0 run led by three kills by Powell.
After Belmont tied the third set at 18, the Govs finished the sweep with a 7-3 run to pick up their second-straight victory over their in-state rival.
The win also gives Austin Peay State University the advantage in a rivalry that dates back to 1998, as both teams entered the Friday-night match with 13 wins in the all-time series.
Set-by-set Austin Peay against Belmont
Belmont jumped out to a 3-0 lead early; however, the APSU Govs answered with a 3-1 run to force the first of 19 ties in the match’s inaugural set. The Bruins took the set’s second multi-point advantage after a Lauren Walsh kill and a service ace, but it was quickly answered with a 2-0 run by the Govs.
Clark’s fifth kill later in the set put Austin Peay State University up 25-24 and forced the Bruins to call a timeout. Keenan gave the Govs the victory in the back-and-forth set with her second kill of the afternoon.
The Bruins led 14-12 following three straight Austin Peay State University errors in the second set, but the Govs took the lead following a 13-1 run led by a quartet of kills by Powell and six Kelsey Mead assists.
Keenan and Elizabeth Wheat each had four kills to pace APSU to a 25-21 third-set victory as the Govs improved to a perfect 6-0 in the Dunn this season.
Next Up For APSU Volleyball
The Austin Peay State University women’s volleyball team looks to finish its weekend sweep over the Bruins at 2:00pm, Saturday, before traveling to Cape Girardeau, Missouri for a two-match series against the Redhawks.
Southeast Missouri (18-5, 8-1) defeated Tennessee Tech (10-11, 5-5) Friday and remains half a match behind the Govs in the OVC standings entering the weekend.
Box Score
Belmont 0, Austin Peay 3
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Final | |
| Belmont | 24 | 16 | 21 | 0 |
| Austin Peay | 26 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Team Comparison
| TEAM | Atk | Kills | AErr | Hit% | SetA | SEr | Ace | Digs | Blks | BkER | SO | PS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
BU
|
116 | 37 | 17 | .172 | 36 | 3 | 4 | 46 | 5 | 1 | 47.3 | 41.3 |
|
APSU
|
113 | 50 | 15 | .310 | 47 | 5 | 3 | 54 | 9 | 1 | 58.7 | 52.7 |
Belmont Stats
| S | # | PLAYER | K | E | TA | HIT% | AS | SA | DG | BL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | SHOOPMAN,LAURA | 9 | 3 | 19 | .316 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |
| * | 15 | WALSH,LAUREN | 8 | 2 | 23 | .261 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| * | 1 | BALL,MARY CATHERINE | 7 | 2 | 18 | .278 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| * | 12 | FLOYD,TAYLOR | 7 | 4 | 34 | .088 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| * | 10 | MASON,CARLY | 4 | 6 | 17 | -.118 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| * | 11 | BASS,KAILEE | 2 | 0 | 5 | .400 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| * | 2 | MCBRIDE,RACHEL | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| 5 | PETERSON,ALLY | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | KELLEY,PEYTON | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | |
| * | 14 | SCHAUER,IZZY | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| MATCH | 37 | 17 | 116 | .172 | 36 | 4 | 46 | 5 | ||
| CURRENT SET | 13 | 5 | 37 | .216 | 13 | 1 | 13 | 0 |
Austin Peay Stats
| S | # | PLAYER | K | E | TA | HIT% | AS | SA | DG | BL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * | 26 | POWELL,MIKAYLA | 11 | 1 | 25 | .400 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 10 | CLARK,JAIDA | 9 | 2 | 15 | .467 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| * | 7 | KEENAN,MAGGIE | 8 | 2 | 15 | .400 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| * | 27 | WHEAT,ELIZABETH | 7 | 3 | 17 | .235 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| * | 2 | DARLAND,CLAIRE | 6 | 1 | 12 | .417 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| * | 3 | MOORE,BROOKE | 6 | 5 | 24 | .042 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| 11 | BULLINGTON,MARLAYNA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 13 | JACKSON,KAYLAH | 1 | 1 | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 18 | WAITE,CAROLINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| * | 20 | MEAD,KELSEY | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 25 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| * | 35 | EISENHART,ERIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| MATCH | 50 | 15 | 113 | .310 | 47 | 3 | 54 | 9 | ||
| CURRENT SET | 16 | 5 | 35 | .314 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 0 |
