Loveland, OH – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) beach volleyball team dropped its season-opening match to Eastern Kentucky, 3-2, at the Grand Sands Tournament, but the Governors rallied to beat Morehead State, 3-2, in their second match, Saturday.
Eastern Kentucky picked up the first point of the match on the No. 5 line, knocking off Austin Peay’s Tristin Smith and Karli Graham in the first match the duo played together. But the Governors were able to get the point back right away when seniors Tegan Seying and Erin Eisenhart picked up a three-set win over the Colonels on the No. 4 line.
However, Eastern Kentucky was able to secure the season-opening victory when it knocked off Chloee McDaniel and Mikayla Powell on the No. 2 line and Elizabeth Wheat and Jamie Seward on the No. 3 line. The APSU Govs were able to claim the final point of the match from the No. 1 flight when Marlayna Bullington and Kelsey Mead picked up a three-set win on the No. 1 line.
Austin Peay State University got off to a fast start in its second match of the Grand Sands Tournament when Smith and Graham defeated M.E. Hargan and Andrea Grimes in the No. 5 flight to clinch their first win as a duo. APSU pushed the lead to 2-0 over Morehead State when Seward and Wheat picked up their first win as a duo on the No. 4 line.
The Governors wasted no time clinching the match and their first win of the season with McDaniel and Powell picking up a straight-sets win over Morehead State’s Irene Wogenstahl and Bridget Bessler – it was McDaniel and Powell’s first win as a tandem at APSU.
With the match already secured, Morehead State picked up wins over Wheat and Seward in the No. 3 flight and Bullington and Mead in the No. 1 flight to bring the score to 3-2, but it was too little too late, and the Govs claimed their first win of the season.
Next Up For APSU Beach Volleyball
The Austin Peay State University beach volleyball team will be back in action, Sunday, when it closes the Grand Sands Tournament with a 6:30am CT match against Liberty and an 11:30am rematch against Eastern Kentucky.
For news and updates on everything APSU beach volleyball, follow along on Twitter and Instagram (@GovsBVB) or LetsGoPeay.com.
Grand Sands Tournament Day One Results
Eastern Kentucky def. Austin Peay, 3-2
1. Marlayna Bullington/Kelsey Mead def. Shannon Stone/Sarah Mitchell (EKU) 14-21, 21-13, 15-12
2. Paityn Walker/Hannah Keating (EKU) def. Chloee McDaniel/Mikayla Powell 21-19, 21-15
3. Bella Williams/Rachel Mueller (EKU) def. Elizabeth Wheat/Jamie Seward 21-10, 21-14
4. Tegan Seyring/Erin Eisenhart def. Maddy Campbell/Elizabeth Fonvielle (EKU) 24-22, 15-21, 15-5
5. EK Lonergan/Arilyn Lee (EKU) def. Tristin Smith/Karli Graham 22-20, 21-16
Ext. Payton Deidesheimer/Emily Freel def. Sami Deidesheimer/London Moultrie (EKU) 23-21, 21-19
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 4, 2, 3, 1
Austin Peay def. Morehead State, 3-2
1. Trinity Miller/ Sydney Wyman (MSU) def. Marlayna Bullington/Kelsey Mead 11-21, 21-18, 15-12
2. Chloee McDaniel/Mikayla Powell def. Irene Wogenstahl/Bridget Bessler (MSU) 21-13, 21-16
3. Abbey Hulsman/Peyton Kennedy (MSU) def. Tegan Seyring/Erin Eisenhart 21-17, 14-21, 15-13
4. Jamie Seward/Elizabeth Wheat def. Brenna Bommer/Peighton Isley (MSU) 21-14, 21-14
5. Tristin Smith/Karli Graham def. M.E. Hargan/Andrea Grimes (MSU) 19-21, 21-16, 15-6
6. Sarah Carnathan/Emma Loiars vs. McKenzee Wagner/Kinsey McAfee (MSU) 26-28, 21-15, unfinished
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 6, 2, 3, 1
