Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) volleyball team begins the second half of its ASUN Conference slate when it hosts North Alabama and Central Arkansas to close a three-match homestand.
The Govs and Lions square off in a Friday 6:00pm match before the Sugar Bears visit the Dunn Center for a Saturday 4:00pm match.
However, Austin Peay State University will have to climb the standings against the league’s top teams at the halfway point. APSU’s remaining eight matches of 2022 includes six matches against teams currently at 7-1 or 6-2 in the league standings.
Last week, right-side hitter Mikayla Powell showed a return to her pre-conference form in the home-and-home set against Lipscomb, averaging 3.1 kills per set and posting a .320 attack percentage. Libero Erin Eisenhart also had two of her season’s best performances, averaging 6.1 digs per set. That moved her up to sixth among the ASUN’s digs leaders.
Through The Rotation
Right-side hitter Tegan Seyring roared out of the ASUN Conference gates. She leads the Govs with 91 kills (2.76 per set) and a .273 attack percentage in six league matches. She has posted five of her eight double-digit kill performances in league play.
After opening the season with eight double-digit kill performances in 11 matches, right-side hitter Mikayla Powell posted just three double-digit outings in the first half of ASUN play. However, she has averaged 2.83 kills per set at a .229 clip in her last four matches.
Kelsey Mead and Janvier Buggs have teamed up at setter this season, the fourth-consecutive year the Govs have used a setting tandem. Mead has a team-best 6.29 assists and 2.21 digs per set while Buggs has 3.88 assists per set.
Buggs leads the Govs with 23 service aces (0.33 per set), with Mead (22 aces, 0.29 set) and libero Erin Eisenhart (21 aces, 0.27 per set) also with 20-plus aces this season.
They are pacing the Govs to 1.57 aces per set, which ranks seventh among ASUN teams.
Middle blocker Maggie Keenan leads the Govs with 71 blocks (0.92 per set) and has five outings of six-plus blocks this season. She ranks 11th in the ASUN in blocks per set.
Middle blocker Jaida Clark ranks third among the APSU Govs hitters with 155 kills (2.04 per set). She has a streak of three consecutive double-digit kill outings (37 kills, 2.85 per set), including a career-high 14 kills against Lipscomb, last Friday.
Erin Eisenhart has picked up where she left off last season, averaging 4.31 digs per set. She ranks sixth in the ASUN and is pacing an APSU defense that ranks fourth in the ASUN with 15.44 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. She notched her eighth double-digit kill outing at Lipscomb, posting 10 kills.
Govs, Quickly
Austin Peay State University’s current five-match losing streak is its longest since the 2019 season when it posted a pair of five-match streaks in a stretch that saw it go 1-10 to begin the season. The Govs have lost back-to-back home games in the same season for only the eighth time during the Mott era. APSU has lost three-straight at home only once under Mott (2015).
Scouting The Weekend
About the North Alabama Lions
Quickly: At the halfway point, the North Alabama Lions is tied with the Austin Peay State University Governors at 2-6 with wins against Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville to its credit. The Lions travel to Clarksville after dropping matches to Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast at home, last weekend. UNA opened the season with a six-match win streak and finished pre-conference play with a 10-2 record with losses to Robert Morris and at Tennessee State.
W2W4: The Lions are an experienced squad with seven seniors and four juniors on the roster. Senior outside hitter Taylor Floyd leads North Alabama and ranks 10th among ASUN hitters with 3.07 kills per set. Senior middle blocker Mattrice Harris is ranked third in the ASUN with a .360 attack percentage and is seventh in the league with 0.97 blocks per set. Senior libero Ella Ratzloff is No. 2 in the ASUN with 333 digs and ranks fourth in the league with 4.50 digs per set.
Series History: UNA leads, 4-1.
Last Meeting: Austin Peay State University won a five-set decision against North Alabama in the Dunn Center during the 1997 season. Becky Sowinski led the Govs with 13 kills and 22 digs while Laura Mitchell added 14 kills and 18 digs.
Notably: Friday’s meeting marks the second time North Alabama has visited the Dunn Center. The series began in 1982 with a pair of meetings in Martin, Tennessee before the Govs traveled to Florence, Alabama in 1983 and 1996 – all four of those meetings falling in favor of the Lions.
About the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears
Quickly: The Central Arkansas Suger Bears bring a seven-match win streak into this weekend’s action. UCA lost both ends of its ASUN-opening weekend at Jacksonville State and at Kennesaw State. The Bears turned things around with a win at Little Rock and have since won six straight, including a five-set win against Florida Gulf Coast, last Friday.
W2W4: Jamiryana Hall’s 3.30 kills per set has paced the Bears in ASUN play and ranks seventh in the league. Middle blocker Mackenzie Vernon has posted a .310 attack percentage in league action, ranking 10th in the league. Setter Caylan Koons is ranked among the conference’s top 10 in both assists (10th, 8.77) and aces (3rd, 0.51) during ASUN action.
Series History: First Meeting.
Notably: The Sugar Bears are the sixth team this season Austin Peay meets for the first time. APSU is 2-3 this season against first-time foes with wins against Florida A&M and North Dakota State. Saturday’s game is the first in a string of three-straight first-time opponents for the Govs as both Liberty and Queens appear on their schedule for the first time.
