Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University volleyball team reaches the halfway point of its inaugural ASUN Conference campaign when it faces Lipscomb in a home-and-home set this week.
The Bisons host the Govs in a Wednesday 6:00pm match at Allen Arena in Nashville. Austin Peay then returns the favor when Lipscomb visits for a Friday 6:00pm match at the Dunn Center.
Despite those woes, APSU went to four sets against North Florida, forced Stetson to five sets, and pushed preseason favorite Florida Gulf Coast to the limit in all three sets.
During its weekend series in Florida, Tegan Seyring continued her recent torrid pace with 21 kills (2.62/set) and a .264 attack percentage in the two matches.
The Govs’ middle blockers – Maggie Keenan and Jaida Clark – broke through against FGCU. The duo combined for 18 kills and a .529 attack percentage with no attack errors between them.
Through The Rotation
Right-side hitter Tegan Seyring has roared out of the ASUN Conference gates. She leads the APSU Govs with 70 kills (3.04 per set) and a .333 attack percentage in six league matches. She ranks sixth among ASUN hitters in attack percentage and is just outside the top 10 in kills per set.
After leading the Govs’ offense through the first four weeks, right-side hitter Mikayla Powell is searching for answers in ASUN play. She is averaging 2.14 kills per set and has a .160 attack percentage in ASUN action. Entering league play, she was averaging 3.45 kills per set and had a .349 attack percentage.
Kelsey Mead and Janvier Buggs have teamed up at setter this season, the fourth-consecutive year the APSU Govs have used a setting tandem. Mead has a team-best 6.24 assists and 2.30 digs per set while Buggs has 3.90 assists per set.
Buggs leads the APSU Govs with 21 service aces (0.35 per set) with Mead and libero Erin Eisenhart adding 20 aces (0.30 per set) each. They are pacing the Govs to 1.67 aces per set, which ranks sixth among ASUN teams.
Middle blocker Maggie Keenan leads the Govs with 65 blocks (0.97 per set) and has four outings of six-plus blocks this season. She ranks ninth in the ASUN in blocks per set.
Middle blocker Jaida Clark is one of four Govs’ hitters with 100-plus kills this season. She notched a season-best 11 kills against FGCU last weekend – her eighth match with nine-plus kills this season.
Erin Eisenhart has picked up where she left off last season, averaging 4.09 digs per set. She ranks seventh in the ASUN and is pacing an APSU defense that ranks fourth in the ASUN with 15.37 digs per set.
After posting two double-digit kill outings in the season’s first two weeks, outside hitter Marlayna Bullington had a string of three-straight double-digit kill outings, September 16th-23rd.
APSU GOVS, Quickly
Austin Peay State University returns to the Volunteer State to begin a stretch that will see it play seven of its final 10 matches in Middle Tennessee. The Govs are 59-13 in Tennessee since 2017.
Friday’s match is one of six home matches in that closing stretch. APSU is 4-1 at home in 2022 but saw a 15-match home win streak ended by North Florida in its last home appearance, October 1st.
About the Lipscomb Bisons
Lipscomb: Lipscomb leads, 9-4.
Last Meeting
Austin Peay ran into a hungry Lipscomb squad and fell in three sets (22-25, 15-25, 22-25) at Allen Arena in 2012. Sophomore outside hitter Jada Stotts led Austin Peay with nine kills. Junior middle blocker Lauren Henderson added six kills.
Notably
Despite only 54 miles separating the two campuses, this week’s home-and-home set will be the first meeting between the Govs and Bisons since the 2012 season and only the 13th all-time.
Austin Peay State University won the first four meetings (2003-05) but have not won a meeting since. APSU has only extended a match beyond three sets three times in those nine Lipscomb wins. Friday’s match in Clarksville will be the first time since 2010 that Lipscomb has visited the Dunn Center..
Quickly
That despite ranking behind APSU in both blocks (13th, 1.54/set) and digs (5th, 15.52/set) in ASUN action. In comparison, the APSU Govs rank third in blocks (2.39/set) and fourth in digs (15.52/set).
W2W4
Outside hitter Caroline Stogner leads Lipscomb with 3.79 kills per set in league play, picking up the production lost since Jada Divita has not been available since the Bisons’ match at Bellarmine. Stogner has posted double-digit kills in all six ASUN matches, including a season-high 20 kills in Lipscomb’s five-set victory against Stetson, Sunday.
