Clemson, SC – Maggie Keenan finished with a career-high 12 kills, but the Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team dropped a four-set decision (23-25, 25-23, 17-25, 25-23) to Clemson, Friday night, in the season-opening nightcap of the Big Orange Bash at Jervey Gym.
Clemson (1-0) recorded 16 kills in each of the first two sets but also had 15 attack errors as it settled for the split in the first two sets. The Tigers changed the tone of the match in the third with 19 kills and a .342 attack percentage to lead wire-to-wire. Clemson led the fourth set wire-to-wire, but the Governors did not go quietly, closing with two points at 22-20, before the Tigers closed the match with a 25-23 win.
Keenan, who posted five kills on five swings in the fourth set, recorded 12 kills along with six blocks to lead the Govs. Jaida Clark added nine kills and five blocks as the APSU Govs’ middle blocker duo enjoyed the night at Clemson.
Camryn Hannan led all hitters with 26 kills while posting a .243 attack percentage. Clemson finished the match with 66 kills and hit .213 against Austin Peay.
The Governors close their stay at the Big Orange Bash at 9:30am (CT), Saturday against Presbyterian. The Blue Hose dropped their tournament opener to Louisiana Tech earlier Friday.
The Governor
Maggie Keenan’s 12-kill outing broke her career high set last season against Southeast Missouri (11 kills, Oct. 28) and was her fifth career double-digit kill outing.
She also went errorless in her attack, finishing with a .571 attack percentage. Tack on six blocks and four digs, and the Govs’ sophomore had a night to remember.
Inside the Box Score
Austin Peay State University posted 12 blocks against Clemson, including six blocks in their second-set victory. Keenan had six blocks, Clark notched five stops, and Mikayla Powell chipped in four blocks. Six different Govs had a hand on a block in the match.
The Govs’ setter duo of Kelsey Mead and Janvier Buggs posted 18 and 17 assists, respectively. They also had two kills each, while Mead was credited with a pair of blocks.
Set-by-Set
Set 1 (Clemson won 25-23): Despite scoring the match’s first point, Austin Peay faced a five-point deficit at 9-4. The Govs found their way back to level the set at 10-10 and ultimately gained a two-point advantage at 13-11. Clemson scored the following three points to regain the lead, but it took a 4-0 run later in the set for the Tigers to take the lead for good. The APSGovs would get back within a point at set point, but Clemson scored a kill to claim the frame. Austin Peay scored 10 kills at a .158 attack rate in the frame.
Set 2 (Govs won 25-23): After a nip-and-tuck start to the second, Austin Peay gained a measure of control with back-to-back points for a 7-5 lead, and a 3-0 run just moments later pushed the advantage to 11-7 and forced a Clemson timeout. The Tigers would close within a point at 14-13, but the APSU Govs fended off the run with a 3-0 run to take a 17-13 lead. Austin Peay State University could not close out Clemson until they scored consecutive points for a 22-20 lead that proved enough of a separation. Austin Peay State University used six blocks to win the set, including blocks for their final two points in the frame.
Set 3 (Clemson won 25-17): Clemson scored the set’s first three points and pushed to a seven-point lead at 12-5. Austin Peay State University strung together four points to close within 15-11 but could not get any closer as Clemson won the frame wire-to-wire.
Set 4 (Clemson won 25-23): Clemson threatened to run away in the fourth set, opening with a 5-1 run and building an eight-point lead at 18-10. But the APSU Govs scored nine of the following 12 points to close within a pair of points at 21-19. The Govs and Tigers would trade points the rest of the way, with an Ani Clark kill ending the match.
