Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team swept Jacksonville by scores of 25-14, 25-17, and 25-14 to earn its 15th-straight match win inside the Winfield Dunn Center on Friday.
The Governors have won 11-straight sets at home, 12 of 13 this year, and 15 of the last 16.
The Governors, who are 4-0 at home this year, tied their second longest win streak in the Dunn Center, matching the mark from the 2017-18 seasons (last three matches of 2017, first 12 of 2018). Austin Peay State University will attempt to tie the program record (16) set during the 1991-92 seasons (last match of 1991, first 15 of 1992) when the Governors host North Florida, Saturday, at 5:00pm CT.
Austin Peay State University tied Arkansas-Pine Bluff for the fourth longest active win streak in the country.
“I felt like we did a really good job serving tough and keeping Jacksonville out of system” Austin Peay State University head coach Taylor Mott said. “I’m really proud of the ladies for battling. I never felt like we let up or had a lull in what we were doing. I’m proud of the overall effort, and hopefully we can carry that into tomorrow.”
Mott’s crew opened the match on a 4-1 run, but Jacksonville rallied to tie at six. Three ties ensued over the next six points before Jacksonville (7-8, 1-2 ASUN) took its first lead, 9-8. The APSU Governors put together an 11-0 run to build a 22-13 advantage. Austin Peay scored the final three points and closed the period outscoring the Dolphins 14-1.
In the first set, Austin Peay State University’s Marlayna Bullington registered eight digs. Janvier Buggs dished out eight assists, while Kelsey Mead had five.
The Governors hit .364 in the first game while limiting Jacksonville to .156.
Austin Peay State University used a 5-0 run to grab a 7-1 upper hand in the second stanza. The Dolphins responded with three-straight points before Jaida Clark’s fifth kill ended the spurt. A 6-0 Governors’ spurt, including three service aces by Mead, made the score 17-10. A 4-0 run followed as part of a larger 10-1 spurt for the APSU Governors, giving them a 21-11 edge. A Dolphins’ attack error gave Mott’s squad the second-set victory.
Austin Peay State University used a 5-0 spurt, it’s fourth of the evening, to grab a 6-1 lead in the third set after Maggie Keenan’s third solo block. Two Jacksonville attack errors plus a Keenan solo block produced a 14-8 Governors’ lead. A Mikayla Powell kill made the score 17-10. Two 4-0 Austin Peay State University runs sandwiched around a Jacksonville kill gave the Governors their second win in as many attempts over the Dolphins.“I feel ecstatic,” Clark commented. “We had so much energy. That was one of the things we focused on prior to the match. We came out and got the job done.
“Our serves got more aggressive as the match went on, and so did our blocking. We were tracking the other team’s hitters, and we were keeping the ball on their side. That was the biggest factor in the match, and that’s our game at the end of the day.”Elizabeth Wheat recorded a season-high .471 hitting percentage and tied a season-high in kills (10). Tegan Seyring tied a season-high in hitting percentage (.500) and tallied nine kills, her third-straight match with at least that many. Powell had seven kills and a .333 hitting percentage.
Clark recorded a season-high .455 hitting percentage to go along with six kills. Burlington totaled 14 digs, while Erin Eisenhart had 11, her 21st-straight match in double figures. Buggs and Mead each dished out 14 assists. Friday was Buggs’ 18th-straight match with 10 or more, while Mead recorded her 16th-consecutive. Keenan came up with three of her team’s eight solo blocks.
Jacksonville, which was swept for the second-consecutive league match, ended with just a .061 hitting percentage, it’s second worst this year.
