Jacksonville, FL – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) beach volleyball team dropped a first-round match to Florida Gulf Coast, 4-1, before picking up its first-ever ASUN Conference Beach Volleyball Championship win with a 3-2 decision in an elimination match against Eastern Kentucky, Friday, at North Florida’s Cooper Family Beach.
In the first match of the day, No. 2 seed Florida Gulf Coast took the early lead when it knocked off Tegan Seyring and Erin Eisenhart in the No. 4 pairing before beating Karli Graham and Tristin Smith in the No. 5 pairing. The Eagles scored the match-clinching point on the No. 1 line, knocking off Marlayna Bullington and Kelsey Mead in two sets.
With the opening match decided, the Eagles dropped Chloee McDaniel and Mikayla Powell in the No. 2 pairing to extend their lead. In the final match on the sand, Elizabeth Wheat and Jamie Seward scored the first point of the tournament for the Govs when they beat FGCU’s Dylan Brewer and Nicole De Oliveira in two sets.
In an elimination match against No. 6 seed Eastern Kentucky, the seventh-seeded Governors wasted no time taking the early advantage with Eisenhart and Seyring quickly winning in two sets on the No. 4 line to go ahead 1-0. But the Colonels evened the match in the No. 5 pairing when they knocked off Graham and Smith in three sets.
The No. 3 pairing was the next to go final and Eastern Kentucky took a 2-1 lead when it knocked off Wheat and Seward in two sets. The last two matches on the sand went final within seconds of each other, with the Governors winning both to clinch a 3-2 victory over EKU. It was a two-set win for Bullington and Mead in the No. 1 pairing and a two-set victory for McDaniel and Powell on the No. 2 line that sealed the Govs’ first ASUN Championship win.
Austin Peay State University will play another elimination match on Saturday at 11:00am CT when it takes on the loser of an 8:00am match between No. 1 Stetson and No. 4 North Alabama. If the Governors take down the Hatters or Lions, they will play again on, Saturday at 3:30pm with a trip to the semifinals on the line.
For news and updates on everything APSU beach volleyball, follow along on Twitter and Instagram (@GovsBVB) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
ASUN Beach Volleyball Championship Day One Results
Florida Gulf Coast 4, Austin Peay 1
1. Kacie Johnson/Madison Parmelly (FGCU) def. Marlayna Bullington/Kelsey Mead 21-11, 21-14
2. Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def. Chloee McDaniel/Mikayla Powell 21-15, 23-21
3. Elizabeth Wheat/Jamie Seward def. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 24-22, 21-18
4. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Lexie Hamilton (FGCU) def. Erin Eisenhart/Tegan Seyring 21-14, 21-13
5. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) def. Karli Graham/Tristin Smith 22-20, 21-11
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 1, 2, 3
Austin Peay 3, Eastern Kentucky 2
1. Marlayna Bullington/Kelsey Mead def. Shannon Stone/Maddy Campbell (EKU) 21-17, 21-11
2. Chloee McDaniel/Mikayla Powell def. Paityn Walker/Hannah Keating (EKU) 21-17, 21-15
3. Sarah Mitchell/Rachel Mueller (EKU) def. Elizabeth Wheat/Jamie Seward 21-16, 21-11
4. Erin Eisenhart/Tegan Seyring def. Madalyn Richardson/EK Lonergan (EKU) 21-10, 21-17
5. Bailey Rima/Chloe Mason (EKU) def. Karli Graham/Tristin Smith 21-17, 20-22, 15-9
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 3, 2, 1
